Pompeii jaw bone having a sample taken in a laboratory. The jaw is from the skeleton of a child recovered from the ruins of the Murecine hotel in Pompeii, Italy. Pompeii was a town of around 20,000 people when it was destroyed by the eruption of the nearby volcano Vesuvius in 79 AD. The eruption buried the town under a layer of ash, which preserved the buildings, artifacts, artworks and people in excellent condition. Skulls from Murecine were studied and mapped to produce 3-D reconstructions of their facial features. This work provides insight into the lives and habits of people living in Roman Italy.