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Ruins of Pompeii from above, with Vesuvius in the background (seen from adrone)The black mark represents ash to show how much of Pompeii was covered
Pompeii was an ancient city that was buried byMount Vesuvius. It is currently aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets.
On 24 October 79 AD, avolcano calledMount Vesuviuserupted[1][2] anddestroyed the city and itspeople, killing 2,000 of them. Pompeii is one of the world's most important historical sites because of the way the volcanic ash preserved the city and its people. This gives historians and archaeologists a vivid picture of life in the Roman Empire around 2,000 years ago.
Archaeologists have foundgraffiti written by the people who lived in the town.[3] People often wrote on walls, and archaeologists have been able to read some of what they wrote.
The town was started around the year 600 BC. It was started by a group from central Italy, the Osci. They chose to start it in this location because it was already an essential location for trade by both land and sea. By the 5th century BC, Pompeii had become part of Rome. While under Roman control, Pompeii improved a lot. The Romans built Aqueducts, and these were used to provide the citizens with water.
Before the eruption, Pompeii was a beautiful and wealthy city. At the time of the eruption, the town may have had about 11,000 people living there. It was in an area where Romans had holiday villas. Modern professor William Abbott said, "At the time of the eruption, Pompeii had reached its high point in society as many Romans frequently visited Pompeii on vacations."
Pliny The Younger was a witness to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He sent letters to a friend describing the eruption. For he was much too scared to go any closer, he stayed where he was. He was far from the sight, but close enough to see the eruption.
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