[renormalised (Carl)]

Yes....and it was 180AD, not BC. The last eruption was about 30 years later. It was the largest eruption in the last 10000 years...or near to it.

You're worried about Taupo...I can think of 3 places that I'd be more worried about...Lake Toba (Sumatra, Indonesia), Yellowstone (Wyoming, USA) and Long Valley (California, USA). All three have had significantly larger eruptions than Taupo, one in particular (Yellowstone) is very active. The first eruption of Yellowstone was the largest in the last 3 million years. It was about the same size as Lake Toba...that eruption (74Ka) was a good one. May have significantly reduced the human population on the planet.

The one to be really impressed with was La Garita (around 28Ma). That's the largest ever recorded in the rock record....5000km^3 or more of eruption debris was flung out of that one. If something like that happened again, it'd be time to switch on the "bend over and kiss your rear end goodbye" sign. That would do in this present civilisation...wouldn't wipe us all out, but a great many would perish.