Skeleton buried in Vesuvius eruption found at Herculaneum

ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXCAVATING THE ROMAN COASTAL RETREAT OF HERCULANEUM HAVE UNEARTHED THE REMAINS OF A VICTIM FROM THE VESUVIUS ERUPTION IN AD 79.

Based on letters by Pliny the Younger (a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Rome), Mount Vesuvius began erupting at around 1:00 pm, which scientists predict would have released a deadly cloud of super-heated tephra and gases to a height of 33 km (21 mi) – ejecting molten rock, pulverized pumice and hot ash at 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings.Previous excavations in the 1980’s of the towns shoreline discovered skeletons on the beach and in the first six so-called boat sheds. Archaeologists at the time suggested that these victims were waiting for rescue, when they were killed instantly from the heat generated by a pyroclastic flow att temperatures of around 500 °C.

Studies suggest that the victim’s body was either already on the shoreline, or was dragged by the force of the eruption and deposited with material from the town that was transported by the pyroclastic flow.

The body shows indications of numerous fractures, whilst the high temperatures caused the immediate evaporation of the tissues and internal organs, leaving only the skeleton imprisoned in a mass of ash, gas and entrained debris. Alongside the skeleton was a cloth shoulder bag, where an analysis has identified various materials: a wooden box containing objects in metal, pieces of cloth and probable traces of gold finish.

“This is a modern excavation,” says Francesco Sirano, the director of the archaeological park, describing it as “a multidisciplinary open-air laboratory” in which each phase of work is systematically documented and surveyed to give a snapshot of the tragedy that unfolded on the beach.

Tom

Related Posts

Treasure Mountain: A Gold Mine with a History Spanning a Billion Years

A photograph сарtᴜгed by a NASA satellite reveals the Kondyo Massif. (Image courtesy of Sbean Times). When observed from a bird’s-eуe view, Kondyo Massif resembles an ancient…

Stunning Royal Celtic Tomb Unearthed in France

Archaeologists have uncovered an extraordinary 2,500-year-old grave of a Celtic royal outside the town of Lavau in north-central France. The skeleton is believed to be the remains…

Marine Archaeologists Examining a Colossal Marble Head of the Greco-Egyptian God Serapis at Thonis-Herakleion

An Egyptian-French mission found the 80-foot-long ship beneath roughly 16 feet of hard clay. Photo: Christoph Gerigk © Franck Goddio / Hilti Foundation Divers exploring the sunken…

Mummy’s Been the Word for 500 Years: Peru’s Kuelap is the ‘Machu Picchu of the North

One of the Inca mummies discovered in a mausoleum on a remote cliff face south of Kuelap.(Supplied: Krista Eleftheriou )Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this…

Tremendous! How a Painter’s Emphasis on Female Breasts Has Shaped Art

Artists tһгoᴜɡһoᴜt history have been known for their ᴜпіqᴜe preferences and obsessions, which often find expression in their works of art. One such painter’s remarkable penchant for…

The ѕoɩdіeг ѕkeɩetoпѕ from the 480 BC Ьаttɩe of Imera (Palermo): ⱱісtoгу of the Greek Siciliotes Over the Carthaginians

DNA from a 2,500-year-old battlefield in Sicily reveals that mercenary ѕoɩdіeгѕ were common, if not the Homeric ideal. A mass ɡгаⱱe of troops from the second Ьаttɩe…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *