when was pompeii discovered
Rachel Hernandez
Updated on June 06, 2026
The ruins at Pompeii were first discovered late in the 16th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Herculaneum was discovered in 1709, and systematic excavation began there in 1738.
When was Pompeii discovered before the eruption?
The city’s quick burial preserved it for centuries before its ruins were discovered in the late 16th century. The subsequent excavation of Pompeii and the surrounding areas in the mid-18th century marked the start of the modern science of archaeology.
Who rediscovered Pompeii in 1748?
of important objects in three dimensions and making detailed plans of architectural remains laid the foundations for the indispensable procedures of modern archaeology. De Alcubierre shifted his focus to Pompeii, which had just been (re)discovered in 1748.
How was Pompeii originally discovered?
As archaeologists working in Pompeii, we are part of a long history and tradition of digging this ancient city. The archaeological site was first discovered in 1549, when an Italian named Domenico Fontana dug a water channel through Pompeii, but the dead city was left entombed.
How old is Pompeii in years?
People scream and point toward Mount Vesuvius, a massive volcano that rises above them. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Pompeii was a bustling city located in what is now southern Italy.
Are they still excavating Pompeii?
Swathes of the city still underground
But what visitors often don’t realize is that only two thirds (44 hectares) of ancient Pompeii have been excavated. The rest — 22 hectares — are still covered in debris from the eruption almost 2,000 years ago.
Was Pompeii AD or BC?
Pompeii’s history dates to the 7th century BC, when the Opics created an agricultural society in the Sarno Valley, whose soil was made fertile by the presence of volcanic ash from Vesuvius.
Did Mount Vesuvius erupt in 2020?
On August 24, 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius, a stratovolcano in Italy, began erupting in one of the deadliest volcanic events ever recorded in Europe.
How long was Pompeii forgotten?
Pompeii remained mostly untouched until 1748, when a group of explorers looking for ancient artifacts arrived in Campania and began to dig. They found that the ashes had acted as a marvelous preservative: Underneath all that dust, Pompeii was almost exactly as it had been almost 2,000 years before.
What happened when Pompeii was rediscovered?
They were shocked to find that underneath all the dust and earth Pompeii was almost exactly as it had been almost 2,000 years before. Buildings were intact, skeletons frozen in place and everyday objects littered the streets. Later archaeologists even uncovered jars of preserved fruit and loaves of bread!
Who lived in Pompeii before the eruption?
Pompeii was originally settled around the 7th century BC by the Oscan peoples. The port city was in a prime location for trade as well as farming. The rich volcanic soil from earlier eruptions of Vesuvius created prime farmland for grapes and olive trees.
How did they dig up Pompeii?
When Mount Vesuvius erupted cataclysmically in the summer of A.D. 79, the nearby Roman town of Pompeii was buried under several feet of ash and rock. The ruined city remained frozen in time until it was discovered by a surveying engineer in 1748. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Is Pompeii a true story?
Although the movie is fictional, it humanizes the disaster in a way that historical accounts don’t, Yeomans said. “When you let yourself watch the movie, you make the human connection that these were real people in a real tragedy.”
How many people died at Pompeii?
The estimated 2,000 people who died in the ancient Roman city when they could not escape were not overwhelmed by the lava, but rather asphyxiated by the gases and ashes and later covered in volcanic debris to leave a mark of their physical presence millennia later.
What is Pompeii called now?
Pompeii is that city, that got burnt and buried by a raging volcano called Mount Vesuvius, back in 79 AD. The remains of the city still exist in Bay of Naples in modern day Italy.
Is Pompeii a lost city?
Frozen in time after an unexpected eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii, the lost city, is still preserving its mind blowing beauty that makes it a real treasure to be discovered.
When did Pompeii start and end?
1 Origins of Pompeii
The city may have been founded by the Oscans sometime between the eighth and sixth century B.C. The city became a Roman colony in 80 B.C. The volcano that ultimately destroyed Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, may have existed for hundreds of thousands of years before the city’s founding.