October 6, 2026
What We’ve Learned About The Ancient Roman City of Pompeii
Class Description
What was life like in Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius? This discussion takes us into the bustling Roman city—its streets, homes, businesses, public spaces, and the people who lived there—and explores Pompeii’s place within the wider Roman Empire. We’ll consider what the archaeological evidence reveals about daily life and what makes Pompeii such an extraordinary window into the ancient world.
From there, we’ll turn to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE: what happened to Pompeii and its residents, what followed in the aftermath, and how the buried city eventually became one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
We’ll explore the history of excavation at Pompeii, how archaeologists work to uncover and interpret the site, and some of the discoveries—including recent breakthroughs—that continue to change what we know about the ancient city.
The final portion of the conversation takes a different approach, examining Professor Tuck’s own research on the people who survived the eruption. Drawing on original research tracing Pompeii’s survivors, we’ll look at how those individuals can be identified, where they went after the disaster, and what happened to them in the years that followed.
By bringing together the story of Pompeii itself with the stories of the people who lived through its destruction, the segment offers a closer look at both the ancient city and the human lives behind its extraordinary archaeological record.
Speaker Bio
Steven L. Tuck is Professor of History and Classics at Miami University, Oxford Ohio, where he has been recognized eight times for excellence in undergraduate teaching. He has degrees in Classical Languages, Ancient History, and Classical Art and Archaeology.
He is the author of A History of Roman Art and many articles and chapters on Roman art, especially the art of gladiators and spectacle. He has also published extensively on disasters and disaster response in the Roman world. His research tracing those who escaped Pompeii during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE appears in Escape from Pompeii Oxford University Press, 2025.
Steven L. Tuck is Professor of History and Classics at Miami University, Oxford Ohio where he has been recognized eight times for excellence in undergraduate teaching. His research tracing those who escaped Pompeii during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE appears in Escape from Pompeii Oxford University Press, 2025.