The remains of a man who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius have been found on a beach in Herculaneum.
The ancient Roman town of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, but the man was killed steps from the sea.
Archaeologists think the man was running from the boat sheds in the town when he was overcome by the hot "pyroclastic" cloud from the eruption that engulfed Herculaneum at a speed of more than 60.
The director of the Herculaneum Archaeological Park told Live Science that the temperature was over 500 degrees. "It was so hot that everything was destroyed, like this man."
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The man's bones show that he was facing away from the sea and toward the land when he fell on his back, and that's what Sirano said. He said that the body may have been carried to the edge of the water by the cloud.
The bones of Mount Vesuvius were photographed.
An ancient town.
The eruption of Vesuvius destroyed several Roman towns. Herculaneum was covered by a layer of ash from the eruption that preserved it from both the elements and loot until it was rediscovered early in the 18th century.
Most of the people who died at Herculaneum were killed in the stone arches 100 feet inland, where they could await rescue from the sea.
The Roman author wrote about 25 years later that his uncle, the Roman admiral of the region, ordered naval boats to rescue people from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The eruption killed Pliny the Elder at a town called Stabiae, a few miles south of Pompeii, Live Science previously reported.
Archeologists think the man was killed when he faced the cloud of hot gas and debris from the volcanic eruption. Parco Archeologico di Ercolano has an image.
Archeologists believe that the skeleton found at Herculaneum in the 1980s may be that of a Roman military officer who was sent there with the rescue fleet.
The man found recently wasn't wearing a uniform, and doesn't seem to have been a soldier. Sirano said that the remains of a wooden box he was carrying in a fabric bag have survived, and that he was between 40 and 45 years old. There is an object made of metal, but more research is needed to determine what it is. He said that it was possible that he was a Roman citizen of the town and not one of the rescue expedition members.
A cloud.
Many people in Pompeii were killed by falling debris after the city was ravaged by two pyroclastic Surges. The initial cloud at Herculaneum was more intense and caused many deaths. About 1000 people are thought to have survived at Herculaneum, out of a population of 5,000, while most of the 20,000 people at Pompeii are thought to have perished.
The lack of oxygen in the cloud meant that organic objects were carbonized. Wooden roof beams, doors, and even meals have been found there. Sirano said the victim was surrounded by carbonized debris, including shrubs, the roots of trees, roof beams and fragments of frames and panels from houses.
The Packard Humanities Institute in the United States provided financial support for the archaeologists to return to the area of the ancient beach.
The skeleton is the first victim of Vesuvius to be found in 14 years, and gives archaeologists an opportunity to apply the latest scientific techniques, including 3D photogrammetry, of every phase of the excavation. Sirano said that the analysis should reveal a snapshot of the tragedy that will hopefully reveal new insights into the eruption and everyday life in the ancient town.
Live Science published the original article.
