The existence of Pompeii is first recorded between the late 7th and early 6th centuries B.C.E., when the first perimeter wall was built in tuff. It became a Roman colony in 80 B.C.E. and under the Emperors Augustus and Tiberius many private and public buildings were added.
Pompeii is perhaps the only archaeological site in existence that is able to supply information about life in a large dynamic Roman city during the Imperial era; a city caught by surprise by the volcanic eruption in 79 C.E. while in the full flow of its daily activities, as everything was buried beneath a hail of incandescent stones and ash. It was only brought to light again in the 16th century, but exploration only started in 1748.
The archaeological area of Pompeii extends over approx. 66 hectares, of which 45 have been excavated. The centre of the city was the Forum, a large rectangular square in travertine that was surrounded on three sides by a colonnade. Standing on the square amidst other buildings were the Capitolium, the Temple of Apollo and the Basilica, the location for the court and the economic life of the city.
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