Imagine if an entire town could disappear yet be preserved intact, sealed timeless in eternity. Then imagine that surprised excavators nearly 1,700 years later uncover this natural time capsule to reveal what life was really like in the ancient world.
This is essentially what happened to the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum from their destruction Aug. 24, 79 A.D., until their rediscovery in the 18th century. When Mount Vesuvius erupted on that fateful day long ago, over 20,000 people were frozen into history exactly as they sat, slept, bathed or huddled in groups.
Herculaneum was entombed by a flood of wet mud which solidified into tufa rock to a depth of 7 meters, while Pompeii was buried by a deep layer of soft, dry ash and stone. This accounts for the difference in the way the people, along with the objects of their daily lives, were preserved and later brought to light again.