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August, A.D. 79. Mount Vesuvius, a volcano above the Bay of Naples, erupted. Ash and pumice rained down on Pompeii, and burning clouds of gas and rock swept over Herculaneum.
Both towns vanished under the debris. Buried and sealed, they stayed almost untouched until excavations began in the 1700s.
Across the bay, the young Pliny the Younger watched the eruption. He later described it in letters. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, commanded the Roman fleet and died trying to rescue people near the volcano.
Today Pompeii shows us Roman life frozen in time: streets with stepping stones, bakeries with loaves still in the oven, painted walls, and even graffiti.