Archaeologists recently discovered the remains of two additional victims at Pompeii, the ancient city near Naples that was buried during a catastrophic explosion of the nearby Mount Vesuvius.
On August 12, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced that the skeletons of a man and woman with a small cache of treasure had been found inside a temporary bedroom during the renovation of the home. “The woman was found on the bed and was carrying a small cache of treasure with gold, silver and bronze coins, and some jewellery including a pair of gold and pearl earrings,” a press statement said. The man was located at the foot of the bed.
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According to an article published in the archaeological park’s electronic journal, the man and woman were trapped inside the small room after pumice filled the adjoining areas of the house, blocking their ability to open a door and escape the situation.
The man and woman died as a result of being buried by hot gas and volcanic matter, also known as pyroclastic flow. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE killed thousands of Romans after the city was completely covered in a thick layer of ash, which preserved many of Pompeii’s residents and its buildings.
The park also said the archaeologists were able to reconstruct the home’s furnishings and their exact positions at the time of the volcano’s eruption. The research team was able to do so by identifying the impressions of the objects left in the ash by decomposed organic matter and casting the voids. These items included a wooden bed, a stool, a chest, and a table with a marble top, which held bronze, glass and ceramic objects. The impressions also showed a large bronze branched candlestick holder had also fallen over in the room.
“The opportunity to analyse the invaluable anthropological data relating to the two victims found within the archaeological context that marked their tragic end, allows us to recover a considerable amount of information about the daily life of the ancient Pompeiians and the micro-histories of some of them, with precise and timely documentation, confirming the uniqueness of the Vesuvian territory,” park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said in a statement.
Zuchtriegel also said he expected “significant developments” through archaeological excavations in the coming years due to investments recently announced by Gennaro Sangiuliano, the country’s culture minister.