The most famous volcanoes are Vesuvius near Naples and Etna on the Sicilian island. Due to their positions within densely populated areas and eruption history, both have been included in the ...

Not anymore. There are many ways for a human being to die after a volcano erupts, and a blast like the one Vesuvius unleashed in 1780 B.C. provides a grim inventory of almost all of them.

The heat and volcanic ash from Vesuvius destroyed the town and preserved the scrolls, but in an unreadable state, turning them into charred fragile blocks that disintegrate if unrolled physically.

Across the bay of Naples from Pompeii, where thousands were incinerated by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, lies a hidden "super volcano" that could kill millions in a catastrophe many times worse ...

Smoke rising from the Vesuvius volcano, east of Naples, in July 2017. Photo by Eliano IMPERATO / AFP A strong 4.4-magnitude quake hit Italy's volcanic region of Campi Flegrei and the nearby city of ...