Study suggests Pliny’s 24 August AD79 more likely than autumn dates suggested in 18th century

The date on which Mount Vesuvius erupted, wiping out the lives of thousands in ancient Pompeii and other nearby towns, has long divided scholars.

But now a new study by Pompeii experts suggests that the Roman author Pliny the Younger probably had it right all along: the volcano erupted on 24 August AD79 and not later in the year as has been suggested.