When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it buried Pompeii under a meter of ash and pumice, effectively freezing the Roman city in time. However, a new study reveals that the story didn’t end there. Life persisted for centuries, emerging among the abandoned structures in significantly altered forms.

Recent findings from restoration efforts in the city’s southern quarter indicate that Pompeii was reoccupied shortly after the eruption and remained inhabited until at least the fifth century.

“Researchers and archaeologists have always been intrigued by the idea of people returning to Pompeii, but this was often overshadowed by a focus on the remarkably preserved artwork from before 79 AD,” said Gabriel Zuchtliegel, director of Pompeii Archaeological Park and lead author of the new study, in an interview with BBC Science Focus.

However, the resettlement was a shadow of Pompeii’s former self. “The reoccupation of Pompeii was not comparable to the city as it existed before AD 79,” Zuchtliegel stated.

“It resembled more of a slum—a highly unstable and unstructured settlement. As far as we know, there were no temples or public buildings.”

Families fashioned makeshift homes on the remaining upper floors of the buried buildings, while the lower levels (previously above ground) were transformed into hearths and caves, complete with ovens and small workshops.

But who chose to return to the devastated city? According to Zuchtliegel, these residents were likely those with limited options. “Certainly, they would have preferred to live elsewhere if possible, but some may not have had other resources.”

There was also an additional motivation: the opportunity to reclaim treasures buried beneath the ash. “A vast amount of wealth lay hidden underground, including metals, statues, coins, and marble,” Zuchtliegel noted.

“People may have initially returned to unearth the ruins of Pompeii… over time, vegetation would have reclaimed the land, creating a green and thriving landscape.”

This fragile community endured for centuries. Alongside the broader decline of the Western Roman Empire, it likely ceased to exist after another eruption in 472 AD. “There may have been general demographic declines, migration, and hardships related to the collapse of centralized governance,” Zuchtliegel explained.

“It’s astonishing to see how people endure and cope in such extreme circumstances.”

About our experts

Gabriel Zuchtliegel is the director of the Archaeological Parks in Pompeii. He studied Classical Archaeology at Humboldt University in Berlin and obtained his PhD from the University of Bonn.

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