1) In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, spewing ash, pumice, and toxic gases miles into the sky. 2) A poisonous pyroclastic flow engulfed the nearby Roman resort towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae, suffocating their inhabitants. 3) Pompeii was buried under many meters of volcanic ash, where it remained lost for over 1,600 years until its rediscovery in 1748.