They died in great agony: The mystery of two skeletons found in a city destroyed by a volcanic eruption

The skeletons of a woman aged 35 to 40 and a younger man aged 15 to 20 were found in a room in Pompeii.

Photo: ABACA/Abaca Press/Profimedia

At the Pompeii Archaeological Park, researchers have found the remains of a man and a woman who died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which destroyed the city. The researchers said they died in great pain and reported Life Science.

Pompeii was a city south of present-day Naples. It was about 10 kilometers from Mount Vesuvius, which is still active today. Scientists estimate that about 10,000 to 20,000 people lived in the city when the volcano erupted in 79 AD, and about 2,000 people may have died within 20 minutes from the eruption’s volcanic gases, lava, and ash.

Details of the recent findings were published in the electronic journal Pompeii Excavations (Excavations of Pompeii).

– Even after two thousand years, we are still faced with the suffering and pain of the victims, and we have a responsibility to deal with them sensitively and accurately – said director Gabriel Zacktrigger Pompeii Archaeological Park.

Archaeologists found skeletal remains in a 2.8 x 3.5-meter room in the house, which they began excavating in 2023. Despite the relatively small area, the excavation was complex, Zach Trigger and his team wrote. Because the bones and objects were so fragile, the task “required careful microscopic excavation and removal,” they wrote in the study.

Next to the bed lay the skeleton of a woman, with a handful of treasures, including gold, silver, and copper coins and a pair of gold earrings with pearls. She also had a key that may have connected to a small chest above the bed, suggesting she may have tried to take valuables before trying to escape. Based on analysis of the pelvic bones and teeth, she was about 35 to 45 years old when she died.

The young man, who was aged between 15 and 20 at the time of his death, was trapped in a very small space in another corner of the room after being pinned down by a collapsed wall.

– This is not just archaeological research or art history, but a way to understand the human suffering in Pompeii – says Zach Trigger.

(Telecommunications Science/Life Science)