Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano even today, though most well known for destroying the merchant town, Pompeii. This was estimated to have taken place around August or October, 79 A.D.. The event killed roughly 12,000 people, destroyed homes, businesses, and even pushed the coast out. The volcano had erupted and kept on doing so for about 18 hours, so heavily, it buried the port. Pompeii was a popular seaside town, which had many restaurants and gathering areas. After the town was buried in volcanic ash and dust, many people tried and failed to find the popular city. It took about 2,000 years for archaeologists to discover Pompeii.
In 1599 Pompeii was found while digging a canal, although any serious excavations did not start until 1748. This makes the ancient Roman city the longest-continually-excavated site in the world. When Mt.Vesuvius erupted, the volcanic ash covered the town in a 19 foot tall blanket of death. The weight of the ash collapsed roofs and floors. Then, most surprisingly, encased the population, trapping them in time forever. When looked at by archaeologists, they instantly noticed that many residents were still clutching loved ones or treasured possessions.
In the mid 1860s archaeologists started to fill the cavities in the stone where the bodies decomposed, with plaster, the result was magnificent. The plaster was able to show even the smallest details within the cavities: wrinkles in togas, the straps of the sandals, and the Pompeiians last expressions before being suffocated by the ash that destroyed their lives. One of the most well known of the molds are the eternal lovers, holding each other for all time. Most suspect these two to be male, which is most likely the case. It is even more likely since homosexual couples were not uncommon in Greek and Roman culture.
Today, Pompeii is a popular tourist attraction, much like how it was at its prime. You can walk through the merchant town as though you really lived there. The plaster sculptures are on full display for all to see. These haunting sculptures used to be in a museum, where only the wealthiest could view them, now line the streets. Although parts of the city are still being worked on and off limits. The newest development in this astounding archaeological discovery are the skeletons that they continue to unearth. Along with all the marvels of the ancient city, once bustling with life, now haunted by the recreated bodies of the deceased. All of the archaeologists' work has greatly strengthened their knowledge of archaeology as a whole.
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