[pom-pey, -pey-ee] 
| an ancient city in SW Italy, on the Bay of Naples: it was buried along with Herculaneum by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in a.d. 79; much of the city has been excavated. |
| Pom·pe·ii (pŏm-pā', -pā'ē) An ancient city of southern Italy southeast of Naples. Founded in the sixth or early fifth century B.C., it was a Roman colony by 80 B.C. and became a prosperous port and resort with many noted villas, temples, theaters, and baths. Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The incredibly well-preserved ruins were rediscovered in 1748 and have been extensively excavated. Pom·pe'ian, Pom·pei'ian adj. & n. |
A city of the Roman Empire, on the Italian seacoast, that was known for the luxury and dissipated ways of its citizens. It was destroyed in the first century by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius.
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