The Australian interest in Pompeii can be traced back to 1817 with reports in the Sydney Gazette on excavations in Pompeii. In NSW, in 2024, 7755 Year 12 students were enrolled in HSC Ancient History, with Pompeii a major focus of the core course and all students sitting the exam answered questions about Pompeii. The cumulative effect of cohort after cohort studying Pompeii is that NSW must be one of the most knowledgeable places in the world with respect to this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Why is there so much interest in this archaeological site?