‘Master and slave’ buried in volcanic ash
SKELETAL remains of what are believed to have been a rich man and his male slave attempting to escape death from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago have been found in Pompeii.
Parts of the skulls and bones of the two men were discovered during excavation of the ruins of what was once an elegant villa on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city destroyed by the volcano eruption in 79AD. A stable with the remains of three harnessed horses were excavated nearby in 2017.
Pompeii officials said the men apparently escaped the initial fall of ash from Vesuvius, but not a volcanic blast that took place the next morning, on October 25. The later blast ‘apparently invaded the area from many points, surrounding and burying the victims in ash’.
The remains were found in a layer of grey ash at least two metres deep. As has been done before at the site, archaeologists poured liquid chalk into the cavities left by the decaying bodies in the ash and pumice that demolished the upper levels of the villa.
The technique, pioneered in the 1800s, gives the image of the shape and position of the victims in the throes of death. Judging by cranial bones and teeth, one of the men was 18 to 25, with a spinal column with compressed discs. That led archaeologists to hypothesise that he did manual labour, like that of a slave.
The other had a robust bone structure, and died with his hands on his chest and his legs bent and spread apart. He was estimated to have been 30 to 40 years old.
The skeletons were found in a side room along an underground corridor. Massimo Osanna, who is director general of the archaeological park, said: ‘The victims were probably looking for shelter in the cryptoporticus, in this underground space, where they thought they were better protected.’