This illustrated presentation reconstructs the dramatic final day of Pompeii and Herculaneum, both destroyed in AD 79 by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Drawing together archaeology, volcanology, literary sources and art, the lecture offers a compelling, evidence-based account of events as they unfolded.

Central to the discussion is the testimony of Pliny the Younger, whose letters provide the earliest known eyewitness account of a volcanic eruption. James Renshaw guides audiences through Pliny’s observations alongside material evidence uncovered at both sites, revealing how modern scholarship continues to refine our understanding of this defining moment in ancient history.

James Renshaw holds a degree in Classics from Oxford University and has taught secondary school Classics since 1998, including an early appointment at Sydney Grammar School. He currently teaches at Godolphin and Latymer in London, where he also runs the school’s Ancient World Breakfast Club. James is the author of several classics textbooks, including In Search of the Greeks and In Search of the Romans, and lectures for the V&A Academy on Classical World and Afterlife courses. A keen traveller and photographer, he continues to document ancient sites around the world.