Overview

• The first episode aired July 29, uncovering human remains, bread still in ancient ovens and eggs literally baked by Vesuvius’s superheated ash.
• Hosts Dan Snow and Dr Kate Lister explored the site before tourist hours to capture an eerily empty backdrop for their ground-level investigations.
• They highlighted street graffiti, erotic brothel engravings and stark class divisions to map out everyday social practices.
• Cutting-edge bioarchaeological and imaging methods allowed the team to analyse diet, health and lifestyles from remarkably intact remains.
• Subsequent episodes will probe Pompeian food culture, punishment practices and personal narratives leading up to the 79 AD eruption.