Pompeii is arguably the most famous archaeological site in the world. There has never been a site as well preserved, as evocative, or as memorable as that of Pompeii, the luxurious resort for the Roman Empire , which was buried along with its sister cities of Stabiae and Herculaneum under the ash and lava erupted from Mount Vesuvius during the fall of 79 AD. Pompeii is located in the area of Italy known, then as now, as Campania. The vicinity of Pompeii was first occupied during the Middle Neolithic, and by the 6th century BC, it came under the rule of the Etruscans. The city's origins and the original name are unknown, nor are we clear on the sequence of settlers there, but it seems clear that Etruscans , Greeks, Oscans, and Samnites competed to occupy the land prior to the Roman conquest.
Daybreak, August 25, A. Under a lurid and sulfurous sky, a family of four struggles down an alley filled with pumice stones, desperately trying to escape the beleaguered city of Pompeii. Leading the way is a middle-aged man carrying gold jewelry, a sack of coins and the keys to his house.