ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pompeii

Okay kiddo, let me tell you about something called Pompeii. Pompeii is a very old city in Italy that was destroyed a long time ago, like more than 2,000 years ago!

You see, back then, there was a really big mountain called Mount Vesuvius not too far from Pompeii. And this big mountain was actually a volcano, you know, like those mountains that have hot magma inside and sometimes explode?

Well, one day, that's exactly what happened. The volcano erupted and threw hot ash and rocks and gas into the sky. It was a very scary moment for the people living in Pompeii because they didn't know what to do.

But unfortunately, there was nothing they could do. All of the ash and rocks and gas fell on Pompeii and covered it completely! It was like a thick blanket of dust that covered everything.

The people who lived in Pompeii were trapped and couldn't escape. Many of them died from the eruption, but some were preserved by the ash and dust. That means that their bodies didn't decay like they should have because the ash and dust protected them. And that's why we can still see their bodies all these years later!

So, Pompeii is now like a time capsule that lets us see what life was like in ancient Rome. We can see the old buildings and temples and even the remains of people who lived there long ago. It's a really special place, and we can learn a lot from it!