Level: Band 06/Orange. When the volcano Vesuvius erupted 2,000 years ago, the city of Pompeii disappeared under the ash. Four hundred years ago, Pompeii was rediscovered. The ash had preserved Pompeii so well that buildings, mosaics, statues and other artefacts have survived to the present day. Band 6 book in the Collins Big Cat reading programme which offers varied text and characters, with action sustained over several pages.