Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory Science Newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more.
CNN
–
Archaeologists have revealed evidence that four people, including children in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii, used furniture to block bedroom doors and protect themselves from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
The house ultimately became a final resting spot, according to a new study published in the e-Journal of Pompeii Excavations in April.
During the devastating eruption, the volcano spew hot, deadly gas and ashes into the air, slowly killing most of the city’s population. The ashes and volcanic rocks, known as Pumice, covered Pompeii and its residents, creepyly preserving the final moments of the victims for thousands of years.
The excavation team investigated the home of Hell and Frix, named after the mythical paintings found at the house.
Researchers partially investigated the front rooms of their home between 2018 and 2019, but the team behind the new study has revisited the site over the past few years, preparing to restore a third of the building and open it to the public.
“The excavation and visit of Pompeii means not only facing the beauty of art, but also the instability of our lives,” Zuchtliegel said in a statement.
The investigation also revealed that the house had been renovated during the eruption. Ironically, the name of the house reflects the tragic events unfolding within it, researchers said.
During excavations, the team unearthed an atrium with a water collection basin, a gorgeously decorated walled banquet hall, and a banquet hall with a central rainwater opening and a bed chamber.
A small piece of volcanic debris falls like rain from the opening, perhaps at the first stage of the eruption, with four people in the house running to the bedroom, blocking it off in the bed to protect themselves.
But as the fallout from the eruption continues, researchers believe residents pulled their beds back through the door and tried to escape.
The ruins of Pompeian were discovered in the banquet hall.
“The arrival of the first detrital cloud to enter the ancient city or the collapse of some of the upper floors could have led to the deaths of four victims,” the study states.
The dense mixture of ash, gas and rock dispersed during the volcanic eruptions filled the house with avalanche of broken, rapid debris due to a dense mixture of detrital clouds or ash, gas and rock, Zuchtriegel said. The team created a cast of the bed by identifying the void left behind by disassembly of the bed frame and pouring plaster into it to maintain its shape.
He added that the scene is just one of many examples that serve as a reminder of the fear and pain Pompeii residents face when they try to find shelter.
“Many people probably took shelter in small rooms in the building because they felt safer and safer than open areas exposed to rainy volcanic materials,” Zuchtliegel said. “Last year we discovered several victims barricaded in the small entrance hall of a painter’s house at work. They must have believed and wanted to be protected as they closed the doors at both ends of the hallway.”
And at the Chiasas house, a young man and an older woman were stuck there, closing the windows and doors to a small room.
“Nevertheless, the hours of the eruption (the victims) blocked a potential escape route if pumice stones were trapped as they accumulated outside and decided to escape,” Zuchtliegel said.
In the home where the four of them were examined in the new study, on the central wall of the banquet hall is the fresco of the Greek mythology Fluxus and his sister Hel. As the myth progresses, Hell and Frix escape their hated stepmother Inno by flying off on Golden Fleece and Rum. However, during the escape, Hell falls into the sea belt. It was named Healthpont after her. Today it is known as the Dardanelles or the Strait of Gallipoli in Türkiye.
The fresco captures the moment when Hell reaches out to Phrixus for help.
The ancient tales probably no longer retain religious values for the inhabitants of Pompeii, and served merely as an exhibition of decoration and status, Zuchtliegel said. However, hindsight reflects the hopeless moments faced by those trapped in their homes during the eruption.
“The discovery of a group of individuals, perhaps representing a small number of households, was a fresco that lends its name to the house, a fresco trying to cling to their twin siblings, clinging to hopes of survival in the face of fear and tragedy,” he said.
“Everything we find is a surprise, and in Pompeii it comes in the form of fragments and clues that can tell a very personal story, but it also sheds light on the collective experiences of loss and disasters that are parallel to the hopes and aspirations of the population,” Zuchtriegel added.
Threshold removal, missing decorations, and some cutmasons at the entrance suggest that the house is undergoing renovations, but the confusion was not important enough to prevent people from living there. The house was still full of elegant items and well decorated, Zuchtriegel said.
In addition to the human remains, the team found bronze bulls, or talismans worn by boys until they reached adulthood.
Amphorae – a jar of both operations used for liquid storage – was found in a cellar used as a pantry. Some jars contained a stimulating fish sauce that was common at the time. Researchers also found a set of bronze ceramics, including shell-shaped cups, basket vases, ladles and single handle jugs.
“Each house in Pompeii is unique,” Zuchtriegel said. “Each of them has individual objects that reflect their peculiarity, unique decorations, and personal choices and taste, and of course, the misfortunes of ancient residents.