For more than 1500 years Pompeii lay under harden rock and ash.The first excavation didn't take place until 1748.The importance of the excavation of Pompeii came to the world by the German archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann.New discoveries have been found in the 19th and 20th centuries.Some of the ruins were badly damaged in air raids during World War 2.More than one-fourth of the city remains to be excavated and much of it is covered by the dirt from previous excavations.One of the best things about Pompeii is the objects were so well preserved.The shower of hot ash,cinders,and rock hardended and preserved many theaters,temples,baths,private homes,and shops.The ash also covered the people making a mold that excavators could later pour plaster into to make the human molds.Some of the molds are on display in the museum erected in Pompeii.Most of the people escaped with their most prized possessions.After the eruption some of the people tunneled back into their homes to get some of the things they had to leave behind.That's why excavators are not able to find many objects of great value. The buildings and objects found in Pompeii have shown us the complete picture of how an Italian city of the first century lived.
