Systematic excavations began in 1748 at the site near Naples, Italy, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, revealing a remarkably preserved Roman city with homes, frescoes, and bodies cast in ash. Initial accidental finds in the 16th century led to organized digs under Spanish engineers, uncovering streets, amphitheaters, and daily life artifacts. The rediscovery in the Campania region transformed understandings of Roman culture and inspired a wave of archaeological interest across Europe. Pompeii became a symbol of sudden catastrophe and preservation.

Pompeii's vivid remains inspired Romantic poets and writers like Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, who visited and reflected on mortality and antiquity in their verses. Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel 'The Last Days of Pompeii' popularized the site, influencing 19th-century historical poetry and fiction. It fueled neoclassical literary revivals, with poets drawing on its frescoes and ruins for imagery of lost civilizations and human transience, enriching English Romanticism and beyond.