Pompeii was a large and prosperous city in Ancient Rome. It was located in the Bay of Naples, at the foot of the volcano, Mount Vesuvius. It was the biggest of three cities – the other two were the neighbouring cities of Herculaneum and Stabiae- that were completely destroyed by the mighty eruption of Vesuvius on 24th August 79 AD.
The Roman writer Pliny the Younger has given an eyewitness account of the disaster that gives us a clear picture of ever horrific detail during Pompeii’s last days. The first explosion created a thick cloud of dark ash, which was followed by a flood of hot ash, cinders, and poisonous fumes over the next two days. The ash completely buried and sealed off the cities of both Pompeii and Stabiae. Bodies were perfectly preserved by the hot ash, so that they remained exactly as they were, even to their facial expressions, at the moment of death. Herculaneum was buried under a stream of boiling mud and lava, and was preserved in perfect detail too. The ruins of Pompeii were discovered only in 1749.