The Temple of Apollo at Pompeii, Italy, featured 48 columns surrounding a steep flight of steps leading to an inner cella, opposite which sat a sacrificial altar.

This enclosed taberna at Pompeii, considered a fast food joint of the ancient world, is one of many where Romans took their midday meal. Food was scooped out of the large jars on the counter top.

During the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, ash rained down on and covered the city. Encased in the super-heated material, bodies were totally incinerated, leaving a cavity in the cooling ash. Archeologists poured plaster into the cavities to form plaster casts of bodies in Pompeii. Those shown here were discovered in the Macellum, … Read more

Entrance to the ruins of Pompeii, Italy. Beyond the ruins lie hills where more ruins await excavation. Mount Vesuvius, which blew its top in 79 AD and buried the town in volcanic ash, still threatens in the distance.