Victims who perished in Pompeii after the devastating AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius may have been killed by a simultaneous earthquake, research has suggested. Scholars have debated for decades whether seismic activity occurred during the eruption of Vesuvius in southern Italy nearly 2,000 years ago, and not just before it, as reported by Pliny th...

During the excavations started in 2023 in Insula 10 of Pompeii's Regio IX, the interior structures of two houses were uncovered, one of which contained an impressive banquet hall with frescoed walls. The painted scenes depict pivotal moments preceding the Trojan War: the fateful meeting between the young Paris and the beautiful Helen, which will sp...

On Aug. 24, in A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, shooting over 3 cubic miles of debris up to 20 miles (32.1 kilometers) in the air. As the ash and rock fell to Earth, it buried the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. According to most modern accounts, the story pretty much ends there: Both cities were wiped out, their people frozen in time. I...

The excavated archaeological site of Pompeii is unlike anything you’ll ever see. Even if you’ve visited in the past, continuing excavations have unearthed new wonders worth a second stop—and if it’s your first visit to southern Italy, a stop here is a must. But the site is immense and gets millions of annual visitors, so we have some tips to help y...

Drawings of gladiators believed to have been made by children inspired by watching battles at Pompeii’s amphitheatre are among the latest discoveries in the ruins of the ancient Roman city. The charcoal drawings were found during excavations at I’Insula dei Casti Amanti, a cluster of homes in Pompeii’s archaeological park that opened to the public...

Nestled beneath the gaze of Mount Vesuvius lies a city frozen in time, bearing the scars of a catastrophic eruption that forever changed its destiny. Pompeii, the ancient Roman city, is an eternal tie between the past and present, and it has always been on my bucket list. Even if you are not a history lover, you might still be captivated by its hau...

As I saw the images—the first time in 2,000 years that anyone had laid eyes on them—I felt a great surge of emotion, especially because they remain only yours for a few moments before they are consigned to the admiration of the whole world. We had just uncovered stunning frescos inspired by the Trojan War painted on the splendid black walls of a ba...

The cities buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D., Pompeiii, Herculaneum, Boscoreale, Stabiae and Oplontis, constitute a tragic account of the volcano’s devastating impact on the ancient cities of the Vesuvian region. The volcano erupted in an impetuous manner, generating a column of ash, gas and debris that rose for miles above the crater....

Archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed an ancient building site that sheds light on construction techniques used by the Romans to make iconic structures such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon, Italy’s culture ministry said on Monday. The site was probably active until the volcanic Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, destroying Pompeii in southern It...

This new landmark three-part series follows the most extensive archaeological excavation in Pompeii for a generation. Nearly two years in the making, with exclusive access to the dig and the all-Italian team of archaeologists, the series follows the excavation of an entire city block, Insula 10, in the north of the city. Dive into the past with the...