Pompeii’s AD 79 Eruption: What the Evidence Supports
Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. The exact calendar day should be stated with care. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii still includes an August 24 reference in a recent visitor guide, while its Regio V excavation material explains why an October 24 hypothesis has strong archaeological support.
That is a more useful answer than an invented hour-by-hour certainty: AD 79 is settled; the exact day remains a question of source and interpretation.
Why August and October both appear
For centuries, the commonly repeated August date was associated with manuscript traditions for Pliny the Younger's account. The Park's Regio V material describes a charcoal inscription in the House with the Garden dated October 17. Because the inscription was made shortly before the disaster, the Park says it supports the hypothesis that the eruption occurred in October rather than August.
The evidence does not license a false level of precision. It is more accurate to write “the AD 79 eruption” in a short overview, or to say “the October hypothesis” when discussing the charcoal inscription and the Park's interpretation.
What a responsible timeline can say
Archaeology and ancient accounts make it possible to describe the broad sequence:
- Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 and buried Pompeii under volcanic material.
- People responded at different times and in different places; neither a single escape story nor a single death total captures every experience.
- Excavation, conservation, and scholarship continue to refine how individual finds are interpreted.
This page intentionally avoids claiming a settled start hour, plume height, minute-by-minute death sequence, or regional death total when those details need a specific scholarly source and method. For the archaeological record of victims, see our source-reviewed guide to how many people died in Pompeii.
How to cite the date accurately
Use one of these formulations:
- “Pompeii was buried by Vesuvius in AD 79.”
- “A long August tradition exists, while the Archaeological Park's Regio V material supports an October hypothesis.”
- “The exact date is source-dependent; cite the Park or the scholarly work you are relying on.”
Avoid presenting an exact hour-by-hour narrative as eyewitness certainty unless you can identify the underlying source, translation, and scholarly interpretation.
Frequently asked questions
Did Pompeii erupt in August or October?
Both references appear in official Park material. A recent guide uses August 24, while the Regio V excavation publication says the October 17 charcoal inscription supports an October 24 hypothesis. Cite the source and context instead of calling the question closed.
Did the eruption happen in 79 AD?
Yes. AD 79 is the appropriate concise date for the event.
Why not publish an exact hour-by-hour sequence?
Exact times and casualty claims combine ancient texts with archaeological interpretation. Without a named source and method, they create misleading certainty. Source-labelled evidence is more helpful to visitors and to search systems than unsupported precision.