In AD 79, Pompeii and Herculaneum were obliterated by the eruption of Vesuvius, buried and preserved under metres of volcanic ash – and so too were their inhabitants, frozen in the moment of their deaths. Today, the remains of these two towns are among the most famous ruins of the Roman world.

In this four-part HistoryExtra podcast series, launching on 11 January 2026, I am joined by Dr Jess Venner, historian of the ancient world, to explore what life was like in towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum prior to their destruction, what really happened on the fateful day Vesuvius erupted – with the help of an eyewitness – and how the buried city came to be an archeological marvel.

Below, I’ve selected some essential further reading, listening and viewing from our archives to broaden your knowledge of the cataclysm that buried Pompeii – including insights from Jess herself on how be a good neighbour, like a Pompeian; Sophie Hay on what Pompeii's streets can tell us about daily life, Hannah Platts on Roman houses, and Daisy Dunn on Pliny the Younger, the man who saw it all and lived to write it down.

Showing 1 to 10 of 10 results

  • An 18th-century artwork depicting the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius from across the Bay of Naples (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
    Roman

    PompeiiA timeline of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius

    Pompeii was a bustling Roman city, home to thousands of people living in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Nige Tassell charts the terrifying events of AD 79 that saw Pompeii, and nearby Herculaneum, transformed into an ash-covered hellscape of destruction and death

  • A 1948 photograph of the House of Epidius Rufus in Pompeii. The structure had to be rebuilt after being damaged by Allied bombs during WWII (Photo by SuperStock/Alamy Stock Photo)
    Roman

    How were Pompeii and Herculaneum discovered?

    For nearly 1,700 years, the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum – consumed by volcanic ash in the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius – remained buried. Today, the sites are archaeological marvels and attract millions of visitors every year. Jonathan Wright charts the story of their discovery and excavation

  • Roman

    What can the streets of Pompeii reveal about daily life in ancient Rome?

    The homes and public buildings that have been excavated from the volcanic ash that buried Pompeii all offer tantalising glimpses into the lives of the Romans living in the city before the terrible eruption of AD 79 – but so do the streets. With a new BBC TV series about Pompeii in the offing, Sophie Hay looks back 100 years to a dig that transformed our understanding of Roman daily life

  • Pompeii,Italy
    Roman

    What was life like in ancient Pompeii? Mary Beard shares an A-Z guide

    Buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, and gradually disinterred from the middle of the 18th century, Pompeii is probably the world's most famous archaeological site. But what was life like for the Romans who lived there, pre-eruption? Not that different from our own, as Mary Beard reveals in her A to Z of the ancient town, complete with yob culture, nightlife and plonk...

See more Beyond the podcast: Pompeii

Authors

Kev LochunDigital editor (audience and video)

Kev Lochun is digital editor (audience and video) at HistoryExtra

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