Told through the drama of the dig and stylized fresco-inspired animations, this episode imagines what life was like in Pompeii before the eruption, as well as the horror faced by the residents as Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. From the bodies of victims to workmen’s tools and a 2000-year-old fresco of a pizza, no one could have predicted what they find.

At Pompeii, a new excavation continues to unearth rich discoveries. Professor Steven Tuck of Miami University joins the team to look for those who might have escaped the city and investigates evidence that some have survived the eruption. Could his 'evidence from absence' theory show that many Pompeiians escaped the city in the early phase of the eruption?

In Pompeii, the excavation of a wealthy villa, bakery and laundry reaches its climax. Chilling revelations about what people were doing in the final terrifying hours are revealed – including the discovery of a desperate, final attempt by occupants of the wealthy villa to appease the gods. As the eruption began to subside, were they over the worst?

Italian archaeologists discover a woman with pearl earrings and gold in one of Pompeii's richest homes.