Pompeii was a wealthy town of 10,000 to 20,000 residents at the time it was destroyed in 79 AD. Largely preserved under the ash, Pompeii offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried. It was largely undisturbed until its rediscovery in the late 16th century. Major excavations did not begin until the mid-18th century, which marked the emergence of modern archeology.