Archaeologists conducting excavations at the Thermopolium of Regio V in the Roman city of Pompeii have revealed an ancient ‘fast food’ counter. Pompeii was a Roman city, located in the modern commune of Pompeii near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. At its peak, Pompeii had a population of around 20,000 inhabitants and became an important passage for goods that arrived by sea to be sent toward Rome or Southern Italy along the nearby Appian Way.