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24 August, AD79. The day one volcanic mountain came to life and two cities met their deaths. Pompeii and the nearby settlement of Herculaneum were consumed by a mixture of heat, falling pumice stone and ash. Mount Vesuvius, about 9km (5.5 miles) away, had exploded, sending a mass of volcanic debris high into the air, which then landed like a military bombardment on the citizens of the two cities below. Estimates of deaths in both places...