The ancient Italian city of Pompeii is famous for its uniquely pristine preservation of the daily lives of its residents 2,000 years ago. While most residents were quickly buried under volcanic ash, two newly discovered skeletons reveal a couple of unlucky people who suffered a different fate.
In the year 79 CE, Mt. Vesuvius began to erupt. But the event wasn’t instantaneous – for the first 18 hours or so, the volcano belched smoke and debris into the air. Small rock and ash particles, collectively known as pumice lapilli, rained down on Pompeii, according to geological analysis of the different layers.
This alarming rain would have sent some people indoors for shelter. But the historic fate of the city, and many of its residents, was sealed hours later with the arrival of pyroclastic flows, fast-moving, superheated clouds of gas and dust. These buried buildings in a flash, instantly killing anyone in their path – it’s the plaster casts of these victims that Pompeii is best known for.
But new excavations at Casa dei Pittori al Lavoro, or the House of the Painters at Work, have now uncovered two skeletons of people that died under other circumstances. According to archeologists, they may be the first identified victims of seismic activity that would no doubt have accompanied the eruption.
“We found peculiar characteristics that were inconsistent with the effects of volcanic phenomena described in the volcanological literature devoted to Pompeii,” said Dr. Mauro Di Vito, co-author of the study. “There had to be a different explanation.”
In the ruins of this building, the scientists discovered two skeletons underneath a collapsed wall. Both appear to be males around the age of 50, who suffered severe fractures and other traumatic injuries. Their locations above the layers of pumice lapilli indicate they survived the initial stages of the event, but didn’t live to see the pyroclastic flows.
Based on their positioning, one seems to have been crushed by the sudden collapse of a large section of the wall. Faint traces of wood found nearby suggest the second individual tried in vain to protect himself with a round wooden object, but succumbed to the collapse of another wall segment.
“The people who did not flee their shelters were possibly overwhelmed by earthquake-induced collapses of already overburdened buildings,” said Dr. Valeria Amoretti, co-author of the study. “This was the fate of the two individuals we recovered.”
We’d be inclined to label these two the unluckiest people in Pompeii – if that title wasn’t already claimed by another guy who died an incredibly Wile. E. Coyote-esque death.
The research was published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science.
Source: INGV-Osservatorio Vesuviano via Scimex
