The cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius obliterated Pompeii in 79 CE, but the Roman city didn’t remain a lifeless disaster zone for long. According to new research published in the E-Journal of the Excavations of Pompeii, a handful of survivors, destitute wanderers, and treasure hunters continued to call the ruins home for decades.

In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted in what would become one of humanity’s most infamous ancient tragedies. Tens of centuries later, archaeologists eagerly dug through the ash and pumice to rediscover the buried Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in all their preserved glory.

The Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced on Wednesday, Aug. 6, that new excavations clarified the long-debated “return to Pompeii” theory and confirmed that survivors reoccupied the devastated city after the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Archeologists have discovered new evidence which suggests people returned to live among the ruins of Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius around 2,000 years ago. The ancient Roman city was home to between 10,000 and 20,000 people before the nearby Vesuvius volcano erupted in AD79.

Archaeologists believe survivors were joined by others looking for a place to settle and hoping to find valuable items left by Pompeii's earlier residents in the rubble.

Pompeii wasn't just buried in ash and forgotten for centuries until the 16th century. Archaeologists say new findings support the idea that people resettled among the ruins of the Roman city after Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.