
Lost stories from Pompeii
From HistoryExtra Long Reads by History Extra
June 7, 2026 · 24 min · Episode 149
About this episode
This episode explores the lives of Pompeii's citizens before the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.
The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 buried Pompeii and its citizens beneath pumice, stone and ash for centuries. But, as this Long Read written by Jess Venner reveals, we can now reconstruct the lives of its citizens before the catastrophe. Today's feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Topics covered
- Pompeii
- Vesuvius
- ancient history
- archaeology
- citizen life
- catastrophe
Keywords
- Pompeii
- Vesuvius
- Jess Venner
- HistoryExtra
- archaeology
- ancient history
- citizens
- catastrophe
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: RNIB, HistoryExtra Magazine
Places: Pompeii
More episodes of HistoryExtra Long Reads
- Nell Gwyn: England's mistress · May 31, 2026 · 18 min
- The Asante gold: a tale of blood and plunder · May 24, 2026 · 21 min
- How medieval mothers took back control · May 17, 2026 · 22 min
- Rome's people power · May 10, 2026 · 22 min
- The 'Iron Curtain' speech: why Churchill poked the Russian bear · May 3, 2026 · 22 min
- Anne Boleyn’s image problem · April 26, 2026 · 25 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the HistoryExtra Long Reads podcast page.