What have we learned?

Although the eruption of Vesuvius on that warm August day in 79 A.D. took the lives of thousands of people, it has allowed us all to learn many things. Because of the way things were preserved beneath the ashes, we have a better idea of what life was like during that period of time in the Roman Empire.

Vesuvius and her hot ash has also taught geologists important facts about the behavior of volcanoes, as well as cues that nature sends prior to a catastrophic event. Pompeii and its fate has served city planners in the shadow of other volcanoes, helping them to design emergency systems, evacuation plans and a variety of other protective measures for people who live in the vicinity of a volcano.