Mount Vesuvius’s most famous eruption — the one that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum — occurred in 79 AD, traditionally dated to August 24, though some modern evidence suggests it may actually have been in the autumn, possibly in October.

Quick Scoop: Key Dates

  • The catastrophic eruption took place in 79 AD and destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and other nearby settlements.
  • For centuries, the accepted date was August 24, based on the eyewitness letters of Pliny the Younger describing the disaster.
  • Archaeological finds such as autumnal fruits and evidence of cooler-weather clothing suggest the eruption may have happened later in the year, perhaps in October.
  • A recent re‑evaluation of Pliny’s text still strongly supports an August 24 date, so historians today often present August 24, 79 AD as the best-supported answer, while noting the autumn hypothesis as a live debate.

In short: if you’re answering in one line, it’s “August 24, 79 AD”; if you want the nuance, there’s an ongoing discussion about whether it actually happened a few weeks later in autumn.

TL;DR: When did Mount Vesuvius erupt? The famous eruption that buried Pompeii happened in 79 AD, traditionally on August 24, though some evidence points to a slightly later autumn date.

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