2. Plaque
In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted over
the city of Pompeii. It wiped out the
population and buried the city. No one saw
the city for centuries.
Then, in the 1700s it was rediscovered.
Many artifacts were found and
3. Life in Pompeii
• Pompeii was a sophisticated resort for Rome’s most
distinguished citizens.
• There were fancy houses, factories, artisans’ shops,
taverns, cafes, huge arenas, open-air squares,
marketplaces, and bathhouses.
• The town was busy with tourists, townspeople, and
slaves.
• At the time of the eruption, there were 20,000
pepole living in Pompeii
4. Mount Vesuvius
• Mount Vesuvius is
hundreds of
thousands of years
old and, before
Pompeii, had been
erupting for
generations.
• Today, Mount
Vesuvius is the only
active volcano on
the European
mainland. Its last
eruption was in
1944, but its last
major eruption was
in 1631.
6. Warning Signs
• In Campania in 63 A.D., there was
a massive earthquake. Scientists
now know that it was a sign of
the eruption to come
7. The Eruption
• 16 years after the eruption, Mount Vesuvius erupted
• The eruption sent ash, rocks, and other debris so high
into the sky that it was seen for hundreds of miles
around
• As the debris cooled, it fell down onto the town of
Pompeii, which made it hard to breathe.
• Then, a “pyroclastic surge” (a surge of superheated
poison gas and crushed rock going 100 miles per hour)
poured down the side of the mountain and swallowed
everyone and everything in its path.
9. The Result
• Pompeii was buried under millions of tons of
volcanic ash.
• About 2,000 people died.
• Pompeii and the surrounding towns were lost
for centuries
10. Rediscovering Pompeii
• Pompeii remained mostly untouched until 1748.
• In 1748, a group of archaeologists began to dig in
the area.
• They dug through the ashes and found that
Pompeii had been preserved for over 2000 years.
• Skeletons remained frozen where they’d fallen
• Many artifacts like household goods littered the
street.
• There were even jars of fruit and loaves of bread
11. Effect of the Rediscovery
• Scholars say that the rediscovery of Pompeii
played a role in the neo-Classical revival of the
1700’s.
• In Europe, wealthy families displayed
reproductions of Pompeii art and architecture
