POMPEII, AN ANCIENT ROMAN CITY ON THE GULF OF NAPLES, IN SOUTHERN ITALY, WAS BURIED UNDER A THICK LAYER OF LAVA AND ASH BY THE SUDDEN, VOILENT ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS IN 79 AD.
HISTORY
POMPEII WAS ORGINALLY FOUNDED IN THE 8TH CENTURY BC BY THE OSCANS, AN ITALIC TRIBE. THE SETTLEMENT WAS CONTROLLED BY THE GREEKS AND THE ETRUSCANS BEFORE COMING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SAMINITES TOWARD THE END OF THE 5TH CENTURY BC. AFTER BEING CONQURED BY THE ROMANS, IT WAS A STATUS OF ROMAN MUNICIPIUM. IT FLOURISHED AS A PROSPEROUSROMAN PORT AND RESORT TOWN, WITH ROUGHLY 20,000 INHABITANTS AND AN URBAN AREA.
MOUNTAIN
ROAMNS REGARDED VESUVIUS AS AN EXTINCT VOLCANO, AND THE DESTRUCTION BY THE EARTHQUAKE OF PARTS OF POMPEII AND NEARBY HERCULANEUM IN 62 AD WAS NOT INTERPRETED AS A SIGN OF ITS RENEWED ACTIVITY. THE MORNING OF AUG. 24, 79, THE GREAT ERUPTION TOOK PLACE THAT DESTROYED POMPEII, HERCULANEUM, STABIAE,AND A NUMBER OF SMALLER SETTLEMENT.WHEN THE ERUPTION CEASED ON THE SECOND DAY, MORE THAN 2,000 INHABITANT OF POMPEII HAD PERISHED, AND THE CITY LAY COVERED UNDER A LAYER OF ASH AND VOLCANO DEBRIS ABOUT 20 FT DEEP.