Mount Vesuvius Eruption, 79 BCE by hadassah | Dec 10, 2008 | Roman Period II Victims of the Mount Vesuvius Eruption The 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius completely destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. Today plaster casts of actual victims found during excavations are on display in some of the ruins. The site is called Garden of the Fugitives.