A research team has uncovered another victim in the ancient ruins of Pompeii, and it's heartbreaking.
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius loomed over Pompeii before it ultimately erupted, covering the city in ash and lava and claiming the lives of thousands. More recently, yet another victim who lost his life to the volcano has been unearthed more than 2,000 years after his death, and the circumstances of his unfortunate demise are truly horrific.
According to the archaeologists at the newly excavated site, the skeleton appears to be of a 30-year-old man who had survived the first part of the eruption but failed to flee the city in time before he was crushed by a large stone as it was violently thrown through the air.
The stone block "collided with his upper body, crushing the highest part of the thorax and yet-to-be-identified head." The archaeologists are assuming that the skeleton's head remains under the stone.
Had the man not suffered a leg injury, which archaeologists say showed signs of a bone infection and could have made running -- let alone walking -- very difficult, perhaps he would have survived.
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"This discovery has shown the leaps in the archeological field. The team on site are not just archeologists but experts in many fields; engineers, restorers and (have) the technical tools like drones and scanners," said Massimo Osanna, general director of the Archeological Park of Pompeii.
Osanna continued, "This is the first time an excavation happens with all of these tools. In the 1800s and 1900s, they dug in the area where we found the skeleton, but they did not go as deep as we did. Because of the experts we had, we knew how to do it."
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The team of archaeologists will continue to work on the new excavation site -- the area of the "Wedge," located between the House of the Silver Wedding and the House of Marcus Lucretius Fronto.
You can read more about the recent dig in greater detail
here.
What do you think? An incredible discovery, right? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and let's get the conversation started.
