<P> Pompeii was an ancient Roman city near modern Naples in the Campania region of Italy, in the territory of the comune of Pompei . Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 . Many of the inhabitants were also buried before they could escape . </P> <P> The catastrophe was described in a surviving letter by Pliny the Younger who saw the eruption from a distance and described the death of his uncle Pliny the Elder, an admiral of the Roman fleet, who tried to rescue citizens . The site was eventually lost until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years later by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748 . The city has been largely preserved because of lack of air and moisture . The artefacts preserved provide an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of the city . During excavations liquid plaster was used to fill the voids in the ash that once held human and animal bodies giving often gruesome images of their last moments . </P> <P> Pompeii has been a tourist destination for over 250 years . Today it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year . </P> <P> Excavations have recommenced in some unexplored areas of the city, with findings reported in April and May 2018 . </P>

Who ruled pompeii in 79 ce – the year of the volcanic eruption