The city of Pompeii was an ancient Roman city near modern Naples in Italia. Pompeii was mostly destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Visuvius in 79 AD. The town was founded in the seventh or sixth century BC by the Oscans and was captured by the Romans in 80 BC. By the time of its destruction, 160 years later, its population was probably approximately 20,000, and the city had a complex water system, an amphitheatre, gymnasium and a port. Today it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year
