In one of the most famous natural disasters in human history, Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, blanketing Pompeii in ash. The catastrophic event buried Pompeii and the surrounding area beneath a layer of ash, preserving many aspects of life for future archaeologists to uncover.
Today, photos from this archeological site show us how people lived during this time – from everyday activities such as having meals and going shopping to luxuriously decorated villas and enormous public spaces like theaters and arenas.
What Was Life Like In Pompeii?
![The Popmpeii Ampitheater.](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Pompeii-ampitheater.jpg)
Pompeii was a lively city with cafes, restaurants like the Caupona Pherusa tavern, and even a 20,000-seat amphitheater older than the Colosseum in Rome.
![Wide streets of Pompeii](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/47bab11d74b18832ac44f5d85312b7e9.jpg)
![Inside one of Pompeii's homes](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/44d350c2ba6574808aeb8cfac062aa59.jpg)
Pompeii was home to many elegant villas on wide paved roads. It was a vacation destination for both the rich and the poor, who would travel there to rest after a long year. Some villas have been restored and are open to visitors.
![Pompeii's sanitation was advanced](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/c1e27d426051893a87f856d8054c778b.jpg)
Pompeii had a complex water system, bathhouses, and a port. For the first few centuries, the city collected rainwater in giant underground cisterns.
![Beautiful fountains in pompeii](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/housegreatfountain_h800px.jpg)
In the first century AD, Pompeii built its own aqueduct connecting to hills 40 km away. Water flowed into a large reservoir and then down through three pipelines under the pavement. Periodically, there were 6-meter tall towers with tanks on top that could distribute water into public fountains, shops, and homes.
![Tourists flock to pompeii](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2af2a45464703131f675eb92c6344d93.jpg)
Pompeii is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that, under normal circumstances, gets 2.5 million visitors every year. You simply hop on a train from Naples, and you’ll be dropped off directly at its entrance. The area is massive, so one day may not be enough to see everything.
![Tourists are damaging the streets of Pompeii](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Pompeii_04b-1024x656.jpg)
The number of tourists is becoming a problem for the site. Cruises are particularly an issue as tourists walk the same paths, wearing down the site.
The Destruction of Pompeii
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/excavating-around-pompeii-bodies.jpg)
Buildings weren’t the only things preserved by the volcanic ash. This is a photo of archaeologists recovering a mummified family of two adults and three kids on May 1, 1961.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pompeii-man-cast.jpg)
Historians estimate that Pompeii had 20,000 residents when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Most of the town was able to escape because the mountain started rumbling well before the eruption.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/4ea10fef4675825545fa604578849715.jpg)
The people who stayed quickly found the air filling with ash, making it difficult to breathe. Some were crushed, but the vast majority died from a “pyroclastic surge.” The volcano launched hot poison gas through the air killing everyone it came in contact with.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pompeii-history-3.jpg)
When people returned looking for their homes, possessions, and even loved ones, they found nothing. Pompeii was buried under ash and debris and then completely abandoned.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/d3de75b990b59837fa67a0fbff6955a0.jpg)
Though it destroyed the city, it also wholly preserved it for future archaeologists.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/8b4e435238c696c74e0a5195befff0f7.jpg)
Excavations have been going on for nearly three-hundred years at this point. Archaeologists think they’ve uncovered around 75% of the city. Art and statues survived the eruption mostly intact.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/79f0bdcb2c168cfd50ab2ef9cb48d873.jpg)
It wasn’t just art and buildings. They found skeletons all over the city, hiding under stairs, holding each other, and crouching in corners.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/pompeii-cast-1894.jpg)
Archaeologists even uncovered shops and everyday household goods. Recently, they found an intact “salad bar” with amazing murals.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/37286434-9089279-Experts_believe_the_restaurant_will_provide_a_fascinating_insigh-a-20_1609028024715.jpg)
Mt. Vesuvius hasn’t erupted since 1944. It is still extremely active and dangerous, and a new eruption could occur at anytime.
![](https://positivenegativeimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/fcc627707e6cfe50b63be1f8dbc59006.jpg)
Today, it would be even more disastrous. Three million Italians live within 20 miles of the volcano. A large eruption could kill millions.
Nice job.
Absolutely fascinating. I am looking forward to visiting Pompeii again! It’s truly a wonderful experience.
I have been to Pompeii 3 times but still lots to see and as they are still digging it will be like that for years