| A | B |
|---|
| amphora | a two-handled jar or vase with a narrow neck, broad body, and tapering base |
| arsenic | a poisonous element; 20th most common element |
| artifact | anything made by a human, especially in ancient times |
| avalanche | snow, ice, earth, or rocks sliding down a mountain slope |
| erosion | the natural processes that wear away earth and rock |
| excavation | the process of uncovering something, such as ruins |
| extinct | no longer in existence |
| fossil | the hardened skeleton or other remains of a creature from prehistoric times |
| hypothesis | explanations used as a way to further explain information |
| necropolis | cemetery |
| paleontologist | a scientist who studies life in prehistoric times by using fossil evidence |
| Pompeii | a city in Italy that was buried when a volcano erupted in the year 79 A.D. |
| pumice | a light, porous volcanic rock used for cleaning, smoothing, or polishing |
| rubble | broken pieces of rock, bricks, or mortar |
| plebes | common people |
| patricians | wealthy people |
| steward | someone who manages the household of another |
| theory | a principle used to explain a scientific idea |
| tremor | a quivering or shaking caused by slippage of the earth's crust at a fault |
| Vesuvius | a volcano near Naples, Italy, that erupted in 79 A.D. |
