The eruption of Vesuvius buried the Roman towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae under ash, pumice and fast-moving clouds of hot gas on the Bay of Naples. The volcano had been regarded as dormant, and an earthquake in 62 or 63 CE had already damaged the area. Our best eyewitness account comes from Pliny the Younger, who described the event in letters to the historian Tacitus after his uncle, Pliny the Elder, died while trying to rescue people by sea. The traditional date of late August has been questioned in recent decades, with some evidence pointing to autumn. Rediscovered in the eighteenth century, the buried towns now give an exceptionally detailed picture of daily life in the Roman world.
Before and after
- 9 June 68 CEDeath of Nero
- August 70 CEThe Romans destroy the Temple in Jerusalem
- 24 January 76 CEBirth of Hadrian
- 79 CEVesuvius buries Pompeii and Herculaneum
- 24 August 79 CEEruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
- 80 CEThe Colosseum is inaugurated
- 81 CEConstruction of Colosseum
- 82 CEConstruction of Arch of Titus
- from 85 CE to 700 CEOrigins of Vindolanda
More in Earth & climate
- c. 1,750 BCEEruption of Veniaminof
- c. 1,370 BCEEruption of Witori
- c. 1,050 BCEEruption of Pinatubo
- c. 100 BCEEruption of Okmok
- c. 50 CEEruption of Ambrym
- c. 240 CEEruption of Ksudach
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 1st century.