Archaeologists unearth well-preserved remains tied to infamous Pompeii quake
Archaeologists in Pompeii recently unearthed the well-preserved remains of two people believed to have died in an earthquake that accompanied the infamous volcanic eruption there almost 1,500 years ago.
The two male skeletons were found beneath a collapsed wall in the Casti Amanti, or House of Chaste Lovers, the site said in a statement Tuesday.
Evidence suggests the wall that trapped both men crumbled during an earthquake that shook the area as Mount Vesuvius buried the Roman city under volcanic material in October 79 AD.
Around 20% of the city’s population perished in the catastrophic Italian eruption, the site stated. The Casti Amanti duo — who are believed to have been around 55 years old — were likely trying to flee the ash and lava by sheltering in an unused utility room when the wall collapsed.
One of the men was found with his arm still raised in a futile effort to shield himself from the falling bricks.
Archaeologists have discovered two more skeletons in the ruins of Pompeii. ZUMAPRESS.com
The men are both believed to have been around 55 when they died. ZUMAPRESS.com
The remains were discovered alongside fragments of glass paste believed to have once been a necklace, as well as six coins inside a bundle.
The room where the skeletons were found was also littered with jars, bowls and jugs.
“The discovery of the remains of these two Pompeians in the context of the construction site in the Insula of the Chaste Lovers shows how much there is still to discover about the terrible eruption … and confirms the necessity of continuing scientific investigation and excavations,” Italy’s minister of culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said of the find.
Evidence suggests the wall that trapped both men crumbled during an earthquake that shook the area. ZUMAPRESS.com
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the archaeology site, added that scientific advances are allowing experts to paint a more vivid picture of the doomed city’s final days.
“Modern excavation techniques help to shed light on the inferno that over two days descended on Pompeii and led to the complete destruction of the city, killing many of its inhabitants: men, women and children. Using analysis and the latest methodologies, we can gain an insight into the final moments of those who lost their lives,” he said.
More than 1,300 victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption have been discovered in the city south of Naples in the past two centuries, ABC reported.
The two men were likely trying to escape the eruption when the wall collapsed on them. ZUMAPRESS.com
Earlier this year, Pompeii made headlines when officials announced plans to excavate a street that had been virtually untouched for 2,000 years.
“We are about to come into contact with the past, and it’s a big unknown; we don’t know what awaits us,” Zuchtriegel told the Times of London of the project.
Source: New York Post
