Pompeii experts back Pliny's account of Mount Vesuvius

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

- Guardian international staff

But a 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.

Pliny wrote about the eruption in two letters after having witnessed it from the home of his uncle, Pliny the Elder, in Miseno. His account of when Vesuvius unleashed its fury started to be disputed in the late 18th century, with 24 October AD79 becoming the mostly widely hypothesised date. A charcoal inscription, dated 17 October, excavated in Pompeii's archaeological park in 2018, added credence to this theory.