Roman Pompeii ruins after the eruption of Vesuvius. Image: INQUIRER.net stock photo
ROME — A skeleton discovered in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum, destroyed along with nearby Pompeii by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption nearly 2,000 years ago, could offer fresh insights into the disaster, an Italian expert said on Friday.
The remains of a man presumed to be aged 40-45 were found under meters of volcanic rock roughly where Herculaneum’s shoreline used to be before Vesuvius’ explosion in 79 AD pushed it back by 500 metres (1,640 feet).
He was lying down, facing inland, and probably saw death in the face as he was overwhelmed by the molten lava that buried his city, the head of the Herculaneum archaeological park, Francesco Sirano, told the ANSA news agency.
“He could have been a rescuer,” Sirano suggested.
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
As Vesuvius erupted, a naval fleet came to the rescue, led by the ancient Roman scholar and commander Pliny the Elder. He died on the shore, but it is believed that his officers managed to evacuate hundreds of survivors.
The skeleton might have otherwise belonged to “one of the fugitives” who was trying to get on one of the lifeboats, “perhaps the unlucky last one of a group that had managed to sail off,” Sirano suggested.
