Pompeii, ItalyArcheological dig sites, & how

it affects us today

Alyx Standingready

Map of Pompeii, Italy

History of Pompeii• Pompeii was a wealthy Roman town in Italy, just 5

miles east of Mt. Vesuvius. Mt Vesuvius erupted and covered Pompeii in volcanic ash, gas, and lava. It erupted in 79 AD.

• Pompeii became totally encased in volcanic ash and rock after Mt. Vesuvius erupted, killing 20,00 people living in and around Pompeii.

• Pompeii had indoor running water, a thriving marketplace, an amphitheatre for entertainment, and a structured government.

Excavation• Pompeii was discovered by looters in the early 18th and

19th centuries. Pompeii was first properly excavated by Guiseppe Fiorelli. He used local laborers to dig up the city with anything they can, which included shovels, pickaxes, and wheelbarrows.

• Many pieces of art were discovered such as mosaics in almost every home, paintings and writings (poems, stories, and letters), and sadly, about 2,000 bodies were discovered. They’re outlines plastered in volcanic ash, mud, and debris.

• The dig and the discoveries can give us today, a true picture about life in Ancient Rome. Since Pompeii is still being excavated today, we still have a lot of discoveries about this lost city and its inhabitants.