Ancient vs Modern

This is a view of the ancient city of Herculaneum which was buried by Mt. Vesuvius in AD70. Volcanic material and gases traveled down from the volcano at high speeds and very high temperatures. The city was covered with 50-60 ft. of volcanic material which sealed and preserved the city until excavations were begun in the 18th century. The town in the distance is Ercolano which now lies over part of the site. This site is about 5 miles southeast of Naples.