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Pompeii
is a ruined and partially buried
Roman town-city near modern Naples
and Caserta in the Italian region of
Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with
Herculaneum, its sister city,
Pompeii was destroyed, and
completely buried, during a long
catastrophic eruption of the volcano
Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in
AD 79.
The volcano
collapsed higher
roof-lines and
buried Pompeii under
many meters of ash
and pumice, and it
was lost for nearly
1700 years before
its accidental
rediscovery in 1748.
Since then, its
excavation has
provided an
extraordinarily
detailed insight
into the life of a
city at the height
of the Roman Empire.
Today, it is both
one of the most
popular tourist
attractions of
Italy, with
2,571,725 visitors
in 2007, and a
UNESCO World
Heritage Site. |
