In the’archaeological area of Pompeii they came to light the skeletons of two new victims of theeruption of 79 ADall during the jobs started in 2023 to re-establish the boundaries of the excavation areas. The human remains were found inside one of the rooms of a building recently investigated by archaeologists (called room 33), and would belong to a woman (35-45 years) and a man (15-20 years). The woman had with her a treasure of gold coins, precious stones and earrings.
Like many buildings in Pompeii, the house where the skeletons were found was located in Renovation at the time of the eruption. The city, a few years earlier, had been hit by a earthquake which had caused numerous damages. The remains of the woman and the man were found inside theenvironment 33a small one cubicle (sleeping room) probably used temporarily during the renovation works. Inside the ash were found in negative the traces left by the wooden furniture that was present in the room: a Bed and one earnings. In addition to these two elements there was also a candelabra in bronze and a table with a marble top, still with the furnishings placed above. The female skeleton was found near the Bed, in fetal positionwhile the male one on one side of the room, face down, buried by the collapse of a part of the environment.
The stratigraphic excavation on the part of archaeologists has allowed us to shed some light on the last moments of life of the two unfortunate Pompeians. The skeletons were excavated in a traditional way, because trying to make some casts could have caused difficulties in the excavation. The two, a woman of estimable age between 35 and 45 years oldand a boy between 15 and 20 years oldperhaps they sought refuge inside the room to seek shelter from the rain of pumiceThe woman was carrying with her a real little treasure: someone coins of small value probably kept inside a bagand a small one box set which contained gold coins, precious stones And earrings. Near the woman’s body were also found two iron keysone perhaps from the house and the other perhaps from the piece of furniture from which he had extracted the “little treasure”. The boy was probably killed first by the collapse of the wallwhile the woman died later, presumably with the arrival of the pyroclastic flow.
