Skeletons found in Pompeii that died in an earthquake, not a volcanic eruption – ARTnews.com

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Today, skeletal remains have been found under a collapsed wall in Pompeii. Although the ancient Roman city was famously preserved after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, archaeologists believe the couple likely perished because of an earthquake that occurred beforehand.

The two skeletons were found under a collapsed wall in the Casti Amanti, or House of the Chaste Lovers, which contains several residences and a bakery, and are believed to be men at least 55 years of age or older. Experts determined that the wall collapsed before lava covered the area, as it may have been still under construction when an earthquake shook the area a few days before Vesuvius erupted.

“In recent years, we have become aware of violent and powerful seismic events that were occurring at the time of the volcanic eruption,” explained Gabriel Zuchtriegl, Director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

He added that the new archaeological methods and methods “allow us to better understand the inferno that completely destroyed the city of Pompeii in two days, killing many residents.”

More than 1,300 remains have been identified at the archaeological site in southern Italy, which has not been fully excavated, since its discovery more than 250 years ago.

Current restoration efforts focus on the Insula Occidentalis, a section of stately villas that once looked out to sea.

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