New Findings from the Pompeii Ruins; Earthquakes Also Contributed to the Deaths

New evidence shows that the deadly eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy in the first century AD was accompanied by powerful earthquakes. According to the Associated Press, experts said on Tuesday that the discovery of two skeletons buried under a collapsed wall at the Pompeii archaeological site indicates that, in addition to ash, lava, and volcanic gases, another cause of mortality in the area was the strong earthquakes that occurred simultaneously with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. These skeletons, believed to belong to two men at least 55 years old, were found on the island of 'Casti Amanati,' beneath a wall that, based on evidence, collapsed before the area was covered with volcanic materials. This area was undergoing reconstruction from an earthquake just days before the eruption in 79 AD. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Pompeii archaeological park, stated, 'In recent years, we have realized that during the eruption [of the volcano], severe and powerful earthquakes occurred.' He added that new archaeological techniques and methodologies 'allow us to better understand the intense heat that completely destroyed the city of Pompeii over two days and killed many of its inhabitants, as well as the last moments of the people until the last second of their death.' Over the past 250 years, archaeologists have found more than 1,300 victims in the ancient site of Pompeii, located south of Naples.