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Vesuvius erupts and buries Pompeii

79 CE, Pompeii. An event.

Where and when

79 CEPompeii

1,947 years ago

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, Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius erupts in the first year of Titus' reign and buries Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash.

There happened in his reign some dreadful accidents; an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in Campania, and a fire in Rome, which continued during three days and three nights

Suetonius, Life of Titus 7Translated by Alexander Thomson, revised by T. Forester (1889)Read the full passage (Suetonius, Life of Titus 7, opens gutenberg.org)

Background: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

One of the deadliest eruptions in history, it buried towns whose excavation has revealed much of how their people lived.

Based on Wikipedia: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD

In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius, a stratovolcano located in the modern-day region of Campania, Italy, erupted, causing one of the deadliest eruptions in history.

Archaeological excavations have revealed much of the towns and the lives of the inhabitants, leading to the area becoming Vesuvius National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wikipedia, Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-10-02. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

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  3. 79 CEThis momentVesuvius erupts and buries Pompeii
  4. 80 CE1 year later Titus opens the Colosseum with games Same years
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