Pompeii ( ) was an ancient Roman city near modern Naples in the Campania region of Italy , in the territory of the comune of Pompei . Pompeii , along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area ( e.g. at Boscoreale , Stabiae ) , was buried under of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 . Volcanic ash typically buried inhabitants who did not escape the lethal effects of the earthquake and eruption . Largely preserved under the ash , the excavated city offers a unique snapshot of Roman life , frozen at the moment it was buried and providing an extraordinarily detailed insight into the everyday life of its inhabitants . Organic remains , including wooden objects and human bodies , were entombed in the ash and decayed away , making natural molds ; and excavators used these to make plaster casts , unique and often gruesome figures from the last minutes of the catastrophe . The numerous graffiti carved on the walls and inside rooms provides a wealth of examples of the largely lost Vulgar Latin spoken colloquially , contrasting with the formal language of the classical writers
eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Pompeii