AD 79

Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD

Vesuvius buries Campanian towns and Pliny the Elder dies at Stabiae

At Stabiae they tied pillows over their heads as makeshift helmets against the falling pumice.

A pine tree over the bay

Pliny the Younger, seventeen years old in 79, described the eruption column rising above Vesuvius in the early afternoon and spreading like the trunk and branches of a pine tree.

At Misenum his uncle, the fleet commander Pliny the Elder, first prepared to go and investigate. A plea from Rectina asking to be taken off by sea changed that: he ordered quadriremes launched and turned the trip into an attempted rescue.

Held at Stabiae

He reached Pomponianus at Stabiae, but falling pumice, earthquakes, a rough sea and a contrary wind kept the ships from leaving that night.

Pliny collapsed after a sulfurous smell and approaching fire drove the group from the shore. His nephew — who was not there — inferred that dust-laden air and poor respiratory health killed him; that diagnosis is not certain.

Which day, and what actually buried the towns

The first major phase ran 18 to 20 hours and deposited pumice and ash up to 2.8 metres deep at Pompeii. Pyroclastic density currents followed and devastated Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabiae and their surroundings; a 2022 review reports total deposits at Pompeii of roughly 6 to 7 metres.

The traditional 24 August comes from the oldest and strongest manuscript family of Pliny's letter. Archaeological, botanical, numismatic, inscriptional and wind-dispersal evidence has led other researchers to favour autumn instead, with one multidisciplinary review proposing a window between 24 October and 1 November.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources not yet audited Date disputed

How this was checked

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Date disputed. Sources disagree about when this happened.

What the sources leave uncertain

The traditional 24 August date comes from the oldest and strongest manuscript family of Pliny's letter, according to Pedar Foss's textual study.
Archaeological, botanical, numismatic, inscriptional, and wind-dispersal evidence has led other researchers to favor autumn, with one multidisciplinary review proposing a window between 24 October and 1 November.
The widely repeated 24 October date is therefore not established beyond dispute; retaining the securely attested year 79 is safest.
Pliny the Younger did not witness his uncle's death. His explanation involving obstructed breathing was an inference from reports, and modern proposals also include heart failure and other medical causes.