In the months and years after the Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD, was any aid offered to Pompeii & Herculaneum? Did no one try to dig up and of the potential treasures buried there? How did these cities become forgotten for 1700 years?

The emperor Titus did actually offer aid to Pompeii and Herculaneum. He appointed a board of former consuls (two curatores restituendae Campaniae) to deal with the aftermath of the eruption and to provide assistance to the survivors (we understand this from Suetonius). Titus additionally provided necessary funds from his own resources and from the property of the many people who had died in the eruption without heirs.

Attempts were also made to dig into the compacted volcanic ash and layers of debris left from the pyroclastic surges to find the potential treasures buried there, however, these often opened up pockets of phosphoric gases that proved deadly to excavation teams. Furthermore, it was incredibly difficult to dig through the remnants of the pyroclastic surges and volcanic debris. Imagine how difficult it would have been for a Roman to dig through 25 metres of compacted volcanic rock (in Herculaneum) with primitive tools? They ultimately had to abandon the excavation.