Pompeii, the ancient Italian city near Mount Vesuvius, continues to reveal new insights into the dramatic final moments of its inhabitants.
Recent discoveries by local archaeologists indicate that some Romans made desperate attempts to escape the volcanic catastrophe.
During recent excavations, researchers uncovered two mummified bodies, one of which contained a chest filled with valuable coins and jewelry.
The contents of this chest raise questions about the last moments of these individuals, offering evidence that they tried to flee with their most precious belongings as fire and ash rained down.
According to Focus Online, the discovery suggests that the room where the bodies were found withstood the eruption of Vesuvius for some time. The Romans apparently sought refuge there before the onslaught of ash eventually buried everything.
The artifacts—gold, silver, and bronze coins, along with jewelry—highlight the significance of personal possessions at that time.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the archaeological park in Pompeii, calls this discovery a “unique opportunity” to reconstruct, in detail, the lives and sudden deaths of Pompeii’s inhabitants.
This discovery once again underlines the tragic outcome of the Vesuvius catastrophe of 79 AD, in which the city and its people were preserved under ash.
