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Imagine if you could capture one moment in time in a city. Imagine what you could learn about an ancient city if it remained untouched for hundreds of years and we could see it as it existed in the past. Imagine what you could learn about the history and the culture of the people who lived in that city. This is exactly what happened in an ancient city in Italy. This city was covered by volcanic ash and remained hidden and forgotten for hundreds of years. Recently, this city and the treasures that it contained were uncovered!

Pompeii, Italy was believed to have been settled around the sixth century BC. Pompeii was located on the only route between the north and south and was very close to the water. Because of its important location, Pompeii grew to become an important industrial and trading center. In 62 AD an earthquake shook the city and destroyed a lot its buildings. The citizens immediately rebuilt parts of the city and made many improvements.

Vesuvius is a volcano that is located very near the ancient city of Pompeii. The people living in Pompeii at that time believed that this Volcano was no longer active. Unfortunately, they were wrong. On August 24, 79AD Vesuvius erupted. Huge flames from the volcano soared into the sky and an immense black cloud covered the area and blackened out the sun. Volcanic matter poured down on the city and the surrounding area for three days.

At the end of three days, a layer of ash, rocks, and mud covered the entire city. Only the roofs of some buildings were left uncovered. In the years that followed, cities were built and rebuilt over the buried city of Pompeii. It was not until 1748 that Pompeii was rediscovered. Scientists are excavating the site and trying to uncover the city to show it as it existed in 79AD. This finding has given us a unique and wonderful glimpse into the culture, history, art, and social practices of this ancient Roman town. Vesuvius has erupted about 3 dozen times since 79AD, but it is currently calm and dormant.