In ancient times, Pompeii was one of the largest cities in the Roman
Empire. Its 20,000 inhabitants lived in the shadow of Vesuvius, which
they believed was a mountain. But Vesuvius was an active volcano, and
within twenty-four hours of its eruption, the city was destroyed.
Hundreds of years later, archaeologists unearthed what was buried under
the rubble. The most unexpected and extraordinary discovery? The
imprints of Pompeiians, their deaths captured as if by photographic
images in volcanic ash.