Pompeii was a resort town in the Roman Empire, located South of Naples on the western coast of Italy. Many wealthy Romans had "country homes" there. At it's height Pompeii had a population of nearly 20,000 people (1).This happens to be a highly active volcanic area, and on August 24, 79 A.D. the city was buried by the eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius. Most people fled the eruption at the start, but an estimated 2000 people (2) opted to stay and were buried in the eruption along with the city. The bulk of the material covering Pompeii was lapilli (a small, lightweight pebbly material) and ash. Most died from a blast of poisonous gasses. The eruption lasted for nearly a day, the end result being Pompeii buried under some 25 feet of volcanic material, and Herculaneum (Pompeii's neighbor to the north) with as much as 65 feet (3).