The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, 79 AD Content from the guide to
life, the universe and everything  The Eruption of Mount
Vesuvius, 79 AD  Body casts in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
Mount Vesuvius is a huge volcano located near to the city of
Naples in Italy. In 79 AD, it erupted and buried the town of
Pompeii in piles of ash and the less well-known Herculaneum in
volcanic mud, suffocating people and preserving their bodies.
The remains leave an astonishingly accurate record of life in a
Roman town.  The Eruption  Some inhabitants of the area
surrounding Vesuvius must have suspected that something was
going to happen, particularly because of the serious earthquake
a decade previously. Earth tremors, already common in the area,
became more frequent in the days leading up to the eruption.
Some people began packing to leave on 22 August, two days before
the eventual eruption, but the number who stayed suggests that
those who fled may have been seen as paranoid. Most people were
caught unprepared. Even those who