What is pompeii

Nearly 2, years ago, Pompeii was a bustling city located in what is now southern Italy. But in the summer of A. It spewed smoke and toxic gas 20 miles into the air, which soon spread to the town. Almost overnight, Pompeii—and many of its 10, residents—vanished under a blanket of ash. Pompeii was basically lost and forgotten until it was rediscovered in Thanks to excavations, which are still going on today, scientists have been able to figure out almost exactly what happened on that terrible day.

Some residents escaped the city, while others took shelter in their homes. But the ash kept falling. For early archaeologists, the disaster of the city's final days was the primary draw, unearthing buildings and streets as they stood at the time of the eruption.

Ellis's team is particularly interested in a corner of the city near the Porta Stabia gate that is a bit off the beaten archaeological path. When they first cleared it of debris in the s, they left this block for ruin because it had no large villas and it was covered over with a terrible jungle of vegetation," he says. Much research has centered on public buildings and breathtaking villas that portray the artistic and opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the city's wealthy elite.

But while his quest is knowledge of the living Pompeii, Stanford University's Gary Devore , the project's co-director, notes that the eruption still resonates because of the intimate connection it created between past and present. Even after hundreds of years of work, about a third of the city still lies buried.

Yet there is no rush to unearth these hidden Pompeii neighborhoods. Volcanic ash long protected Pompeii, but much of it has now been exposed to the elements for many years. The combined wear of weather, pollution, and tourists has created a real danger of losing much of what was luckily found preserved. Over his 13 seasons at Pompeii, Devore has witnessed great improvements in conservation and preservation of the priceless site.

So it's incredibly important that we record in great detail, with the ability to recreate what we've taken away afterward. That's how we're part of the conservation of Pompeii. A person standing in the doorway of the Monastery at Petra, Jordan, shows the enormity of the ancient building's entrance.

Carved into the sandstone hill by the Nabataeans in the second century A. If by any chance you spot an inappropriate image within your search results please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. Term » Definition. Word in Definition. Princeton's WordNet 4. Wiktionary 0. Freebase 3. The Nuttall Encyclopedia 4. Suggested Resources 0. Etymology and Origins 0. Matched Categories Italy City. How to pronounce Pompeii? Alex US English. David US English. Mark US English. Daniel British.

Libby British. Mia British. It was destroyed in the first century by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius. New Word List Word List. Save This Word! We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms. How to use Pompeii in a sentence Like the pyroclastic flows that struck Pompeii , this one brought instant, searing death. Mount Vesuvius victims died just moments away from rescue Kiona N.