In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius unleashed a torrent of ash and magma, killing thousands of people and preserving the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum for over a millennia. Excavators rediscovered them in the early 1700s.
The cities were so well-preserved that they’ve given archeologists a unique look back in time at what life was like in ancient Rome for the wide range of people who lived there, from the very wealthy to those who were enslaved.
For example, excavators found a bakery’s prison in Pompeii where barred windows locked in enslaved people.
And everyday objects like lime and bricks demonstrate how some buildings were constructed, possibly through a technique for making cement created by the Romans.
Other discoveries of graffiti and shrines have also advanced our understanding of ancient Romans. Back then, kids liked to express themselves by drawing on walls, too.