OXFORD, Ohio — Archaeologists announced the discovery of a pair of victims tied to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on Monday which destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 AD.
This new find comes just less than two weeks before the 1,945th anniversary on August 24 of the tragic end of Pompeii.
The skeletal remains of a man and woman were unearthed in a small bedroom in the ruins of the ancient city. The woman was lying on a bed, holding valuables such as gold, silver and bronze coins along with gold and pearl earrings, archaeologists announced in a statement.
"My thoughts on the find are kind of all over the place," Dr. Steven Tuck, Professor of History and Classics at Miami University said. "I think the two skeletons really give us evidence of the chaos of the eruption."
Tuck said the disaster of Pompeii didn't happen all at once, the event lasted for over 18 hours, and "people made all kinds of different decisions" during this time. Some chose to flee, while others sought shelter at home.
"In the case of this new find," Tuck said,"the couple grabbed some valuables and hid in a small, enclosed room to protect them from the ash and pumice fall that was filling the streets, collapsing roofs and filling the air."
"Of course, they didn't know that the worst part of the eruption, the pyroclastic flows, were coming which would kill everyone left in the city. The fact that they grabbed their portable wealth — money and jewelry — shows that they had time to react and expected to live."
Despite the fact this natural disaster occurred nearly 2,000 years ago, the interest in Pompeii remains high. Hundreds of books, fiction and non-fiction, have been written on the topic. Numerous documentaries and films, including a major 2014 Hollywood film, have showcased the tragic history of the doomed city.
From mid-February until the last week in July, the Cincinnati Museum hosted "Pompeii: The Exhibition." This multimedia display contained over 150 original artifacts, including mosaics and frescoes, gladiator armor, statues, jewelry and everyday items.
Cody Hefner, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the museum, said over 115,000 people visited the exhibit during that time.
''I think people are still fascinated by Pompeii because of finds like this recent one: they show us the people in the last days of the city," Tuck said about Pompeii's enduring legacy.
"They were in most important ways, just like us," he said. "They reacted as we would do, collecting family and valuables, trying to guess what would be the best way to survive the eruption. The people even more than the buildings, art or even rare daily life materials are our connection to this city and its tragic end."
Tuck has been interested in Pompeii since his first visit at 16. He has since visited "many, many, times." More recently he has taught classes on the topic and has authored a book "Escape From Pompeii," to be released by Oxford University Press in 2025.
Tuck said his book tackles one of the biggest misconceptions about Pompeii.
"In terms of my work, the biggest misconception I encounter is that everyone died in the eruption of Vesuvius. It's such a persistent belief that is featured in books and TV shows, including the recent Marvel series 'Loki' in which the main character says directly that everyone died. The 2014 movie 'Pompeii' featured the tagline 'No warning. No escape.' This idea has made it a challenge to convince people that some Pompeians survived," he said.
Tuck is determined to tell this forgotten part of the story.
"I am not giving up though. The book establishes that, despite popular perception, people could have escaped. Then, it finds and traces them to twelve cities where they resettled after the eruption. It shows that people not only survived but went on to rebuild families, lives, businesses and communities after the destruction of Pompeii. It also explores the role of Roman government at all levels in helping the survivors and their new communities in the aftermath of the eruption."
When asked how he plans to commemorate the upcoming anniversary Tuck said, "I usually wear my 'Pompeii Fun Run' t-shirt that day...My wife has been experimenting on baking Pompeii-style loaves of bread so I'm sure that will also be a feature!"
