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 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.

After the eruption, Pompeii became a fragile camp-like site, inhabited without Roman infrastructure, as people lived among the ruins until the fifth century.