Throughout history, eruptions of Mt. Vesuvius on the West coast of Italy have taken a heavy toll in both lives and property. But on August 24, A.D. 79, Mt. Vesuvius roared to life after sleeping for centuries and destroyed an entire society.

For 16 years the area had been shaken by earthquakes, as thick, sticky magma moved ever closer to the surface. Despite warnings, the people of Pompeii were caught unprepared, and thousands were buried beneath tons of ash and cinder.

Although we as a society cannot experience the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79 (thankfully), this web site will attempt to place visitors in Pompeii on that fateful day. Through the use of images of the Pompeii excavation, compelling eyewitness accounts of the eruption, and the use a Shockwave animation illustrating the structure of composite volcanoes, it is hoped that each web site visitor will be moved.