Pompeii History – Eruption, Rediscovery, and Excavation Timeline
Trace Pompeii’s life before the eruption, the 79 CE disaster, and the evolving excavation efforts that reveal the ancient city’s pulse.
Timeline Highlights
| Year | Milestone | Why it Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 6th–2nd c. BCE | Oscan roots to Roman assimilation | Urban fabric takes classical shape |
| 62 CE | Major earthquake | Damage and rebuilding set the stage |
| 79 CE | Vesuvius erupts | City entombed in pumice and ash |
| 1599 | First accidental find | Tunnels reveal frescoes, then sealed |
| 1748 | Systematic excavations begin | Bourbon-era interest in antiquity |
| 19th–20th c. | Expanding digs | Casts technique, urban plan emergence |
| 21st c. | Conservation-centered work | Less “dig,” more “care and understand” |
Pompeii’s power lies not only in catastrophe but in its ordinary life — shops, kitchens, graffiti, and the geometry of streets.
On the Day
Pumice falls began, roofs collapsed, people fled and returned for valuables. The pyroclastic surges that followed ended breath and movement in an instant. What remains is time paused.
Modern Archaeology
Today’s teams favor targeted excavation, stabilization, and digital recording. The question has shifted from “what can we uncover?” to “how do we preserve and interpret?”
Image Highlights
Bottom Line
Pompeii is not frozen; it is a conversation across centuries between stone, ash, and our changing ways of seeing the past.
About the Author
Archaeology Writer
I built this so you can explore smarter—clear routes, better timing, and context that makes ruins feel inhabited.
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