Another “incredible” find in Pompeii: archaeologists discovered two almost intact bodies
Researchers of Pompeii Archaeological Park, in southern Italy, revealed this Saturday (21) that they had found two perfectly intact bodies that were petrified in the eruption of the Vesuvius volcano in 79 AD
The discovery occurred a few days ago in the excavation underway since the beginning of 2020 in the large suburban villa of Civita Giuliana, a luxurious property in the north of the city, where in 2017 some remains of three horses were located.
The excavations resulted in the discovery of two men, one 40 years old wrapped in a woolen cloak and his young slave. On both bodies it is possible to see the folds of the clothes. They appear asleep on the floor, with their hands still on their chests and their fingers crossed over their tunic.
Excavation is still ongoing
The operation, defined as “incredible” by the minister of Cultural Assets of Italy, Dario Franceschini, was entirely financed by the Archaeological Park with 1 million euros and carried out in partnership with the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor's Office, prosecutor Pierpaolo Filippelli and the carabinieri, used to stop tomb robbers.
“An absolutely exceptional discovery, because for the first time in more than 150 years it was possible to make perfectly successful casts of the victims and the things they had with them at the time they were hit and killed by the boiling vapors of the eruption”, explained Massimo Ossana, director -general of the park.
According to archaeologists, the excavation is still ongoing and may perhaps shed more light in the coming months on the role of these two men and where they were headed at the time of the tragedy. However, “the first studies indicate that death must have occurred in the early hours of the second day of the eruption, that is, around 9 am on October 25, 79 AD, when the second terrible pyroplastic current overthrew the Roman colony.”
The analyses, which could reinforce the idea of an eruption on October 24th and not on August 24th as is believed, were carried out using the same technique developed by Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1863. The last attempt had been made in the 1990s, unfortunately without much success. This time the experiment was completely successful.
“The last few weeks have been feverish. We felt the presence of gaps in the blanket of pyroplastic material and hence the surprise of human remains”, added Osanna.
Pompeii is on the outskirts of Naples and was completely destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD The site is currently the second most visited tourist attraction in Italy, behind only the Colosseum, which is located in Roma.
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