A new docuseries and ongoing research are revealing that survivors charted a fresh start after an eruption devastated the ancient Roman city.

It was one of history’s most dramatic moments—but the eruption of Mount Vesuvius wasn’t a single disaster. Recent evidence reveals how three settlements faced three distinct fates, reshaping our understanding of how ancient Romans lived and died.

We all know the plaster casts of Pompeii, haunting human snapshots of people caught in their final moments during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. As the host of National