Plinian eruption of Mount Vesuvius

A Plinian eruption of Mount Vesuvius occured around 4,000 years ago—2,000 years before the one that buried the Roman city of Pompeii. The village of Afragola was situated near present-day Naples, about 10 miles from Mount Vesuvius.

Afragola became a snapshot of the Early Bronze Age in Italy.

Following the eruption, the village was encased in meters of ash, mud, and alluvial sediments. The course of the eruption happened in different phases, starting with a dramatic explosion. The villagers had time to flee, which is why the site doesn't contain human remains. Then the direction of the wind changed, bringing a huge amount of ash toward Afragola. In Campania at this time there were huts, but in Greece, they had palaces. Evidence points toward the eruption happening in the fall, as the villagers amassed their food stores for the winter. The eruption occured around 1780 BC.