Listen&Learn: Pompeii

Learn about the ancient city that was preserved for thousands of years.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• eruption: an explosion of lava
• abandon: to leave something behind
• preserve: to keep something in good condition over time
• artifact: a historical manmade object
• archaeologist: someone who studies historical structures and artifacts
• debris: pieces of destroyed items

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:14 — 1.1MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Pompeii was an city in Italy. In 79 A.D., it was buried under after the eruption of a volcano called Mount Vesuvius. The eruption was documented by a known as Pliny the Younger, who escaped from the city when he was 17 years old. For nearly 2000 years after the eruption, the city was completely abandoned. However, in 1748, a group of discovered that the ash had preserved many of Pompeii’s , skeletons, and artifacts. This helped archaeologists learn more about what life was like in ancient Rome. But to this day, archaeologists have only uncovered about two thirds of Pompeii’s ruins. The rest of the city is still buried under ash and debris.

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. Have you ever been to a famous historical site? What did you see?
2. People around the world are fascinated by the ancient city. Why do you think humans are so interested in the past?

Transcript

Pompeii was an ancient city in Italy. In 79 A.D., it was buried under ash after the eruption of a volcano called Mount Vesuvius. The eruption was documented by a writer known as Pliny the Younger, who escaped from the city when he was 17 years old. For nearly 2000 years after the eruption, the city was completely abandoned. However, in 1748, a group of explorers discovered that the ash had preserved many of Pompeii’s buildings, skeletons, and artifacts. This helped archaeologists learn more about what life was like in ancient Rome. But to this day, archaeologists have only uncovered about two thirds of Pompeii’s ruins. The rest of the city is still buried under ash and debris.