BBC posted:

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of two men who died in the volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago.

One was probably a man of high status, and the other his slave, officials at the Pompeii archaeological park said.

They "were perhaps seeking refuge" from the eruption "when they were swept away", director Massimo Osanna added.

Pompeii was engulfed by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

The eruption buried Pompeii in ash, freezing the city and its residents in time, and making it a rich source for archaeologists.

The latest discovery was made this month during an excavation of a large villa on the outskirts of the ancient city.

Officials said the wealthy man was aged between 30 and 40. Traces of a warm woollen cloak were found beneath his neck.

The other man was aged between 18 and 23. Officials at the archaeological site said crushed vertebrae indicated that he was a slave who did manual labour.

Casts were created, using impressions the victims' bodies had made in the hardened ash.

"It is a death by thermal shock, as also demonstrated by their clenched feet and hands," Mr Osanna told reporters.

He described the discovery as "an incredible and extraordinary testimony" of the morning when they eruption took place.

Excavation work is continuing at the archaeological site, located near Naples, but it remains closed to tourists because of coronavirus measures.

Colonel Cancer posted:

I want to be doing my best impression of the goatman when pyroclastic flow hits

Big Beef City posted:

i'm glad of it, op

this is cool as hell and I'm a history nerd about this poo poo ama or go to ask/tell and look at the roman history thread and have your breath taken away by what better goons than I'll ever be know all about more than I ever will about this and more

Doctor Dogballs posted:

best believe i'm dying with my dingdong out whether it's by volcano or whatever else

Big Beef City posted:

Genuinely "holy poo poo, oh no!" and they knew there were no survivors but sent aid and relief anyway.
Pliny writes about going and offering aid to whatever survivors were on the fringes of the eruption and knowing the entire city was a total loss.

It wasn't a "oh no the gods have forsaken us" moment of confusion, it was a "Oh poo poo, no! our friends, family, and country-men are lost, this is tragic" event. It's quite telling that they didn't turn to theism and instead turned to one another and basically just said "Oh poo poo".

Big Beef City posted:

I am so loving sick of Space Moose.

Big Beef City posted:

I'd strongly recommend you check out the Ask/Tell thread about Roman history. You seem strongly lacking, to put it mildly.

Previa_fun posted:

I didn't care until that goons meltdown, now I love the space moose. Post more.

Researchers said on Saturday they had discovered a frescoed thermopolium or fast-food counter in an exceptional state of preservation in Pompeii. The ornate snack bar, decorated with polychrome patterns and frozen by volcanic ash, was partially exhumed last year but archaeologists extended work on the site to reveal it in its full glory. Pompeii was buried in ash and pumice when the nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD, killing between 2,000 and 15,000 people. However, archaeologists continue to make discoveries there. The Thermopolium of Regio V at what was a busy intersection of Silver Wedding Street and Alley of Balconies was the Roman-era equivalent of a fast-food snack stall. A fresco bearing an image of a Nereid nymph riding a seahorse and gladiators in combat had been unearthed previously.


A fresco depicting a nymph riding a horse had been discovered previously. Photograph: Luigi Spina/AP

In the latest stage of their work, archaeologists uncovered a number of still life scenes, including depictions of animals believed to have been on the menu, notably mallard ducks and a rooster, for serving with wine or hot beverages. Scientists were also able to glean precious new information on gastronomic habits in the town dating from the eruption, which engulfed Pompeii and the neighbouring town of Herculaneum. The team found duck bone fragments as well as the remains of pigs, goats, fish and snails in earthenware pots. Some of the ingredients had been cooked together rather than prepared separately as a Roman-era paella. Crushed fava beans, used to modify the taste of wine, were found at the bottom of one jar.


The discovery, now completely excavated, is helping to reveal some favourite dishes of citizens of the ancient Roman city. Photograph: Luigi Spina/AFP/Getty Images

“As well as bearing witness to daily life in Pompeii, the possibilities to analyse afforded by this thermopolium are exceptional because for the first time we have excavated a site in its entirety,” said Massimo Osanna, director general at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. Amphorae, a water tower and a fountain were also found alongside human remains, including those of a man believed to have been about 50 and discovered near a child’s bed.

"The counter seems to have been closed in a hurry and abandoned by its owners but it is possible that someone, perhaps the oldest man, stayed behind and perished during the first phase of the eruption,” Osanna told Ansa news agency. The remains of another person may be those either of an opportunist thief or someone fleeing the eruption who was “surprised by the burning vapours just as he had his hand on the lid of the pot that he had just opened”, added Osanna. The thermopolium – the word comes from the Greek “thermos” for hot and “poleo” to sell – was very popular in the Roman world. Pompeii alone had around 80. Pompeii is Italy’s second most visited site after the Colosseum in Rome and last year attracted about 1 million tourists.