Volcanic eruptions can be incredibly destructive natural disasters, covering whole cities with lava, noxious gases and ash. Plus, the seismic activity that produces them can also cause other natural disasters — earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis — that bring about further devastation.
Pompeii may be the best-known ancient city to be ruined by a volcano, in part due to the exceptional preservation of the remains there. But it wasn’t the only one; and some were even larger and more central to the administration of their surrounding cultures.
Here are five examples of historic cities that were wiped out or severely damaged by volcanic eruptions.
Read More: What Was the Biggest Volcanic Eruption in the United States?
