For 24 hours, fiery rocks, toxic gases, and


When you first see the statue, it looks like a dog playing. It’s rolling on its back. Its legs kick in the air. You check to see if it has a ball in its mouth. But this isn’t playtime. A closer look shows that its body is twisted,


as if in pain. Nearby, you see statues of people. Some have their hands over their faces. One looks like it is screaming.


Something awful took place here. To solve this mystery, go back to the year


79 a.d. You’re in the seaside city of Pompeii in Italy. It’s a resort area where rich Romans relax and play. T e narrow streets are busy. Chariots race


through town. Families splash at the public baths. Children walk pet monkeys. People pack the 20,000 seats in the arena.


T e crowd roars as snarling lions and hissing panthers fight. Next come the gladiators. T eir swords clang. T eir spears cut through the air. Life in Pompeii is not all fun and games,


though. A huge volcano towers over it. T e people don’t worry about Mt. Vesuvius too much, though. It last erupted hundreds of years ago. T eir bigger fear is a diff erent kind of


natural disaster. A few years earlier, a major earthquake crumbled and cracked houses. People are still fixing the damage. T en in late summer, the ground begins to


shake again. Many people flee Pompeii. T ey are the lucky ones. One morning, Mt. Vesuvius suddenly erupts. T e top of the mountain blows off . T e sky turns black.


20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXTREME EXPLORER


hot ash rain down. Deadly heat cooks the city and every living thing in it. Lava and ash bury Pompeii. T e city vanishes. When archaeologists dig up Pompeii, they


are amazed. T e ash and lava has hardened into rock, leaving everything as it was. It’s like the city is frozen in time. T ey find bread and jars of fruit. Colorful paintings still hang on walls. T e roads are still bumpy with the ruts of chariot wheels. T ese artifacts show what daily life in Pompeii was like.


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