I do not know why, but until now, researchers and just curious people are not letting go of the story of the death of people in August 79 AD at the foothills of Vesuvius. It would seem how many tangled and unusual tragedies happened after that - no, Vesuvius and that's it!
Previously, it was assumed that the people who were in the houses, most likely, died instantly. The main cause of death of the victims of the eruption was asphyxiation by volcanic gases, but now scientists have a new, very cruel version.
Here we examined Vesuvius in more detail.
Archaeologists at the Frederick II University of Naples in Italy conducted a study of the bones found in these vaults. A team of scientists examined 103 skeletons. A certain red and black mineral sediment was found on the remains, covering them both from the inside and outside and penetrating the ash surrounding the bones.
According to spectrometric and spectroscopic analyzes, this precipitate contains iron atoms and iron oxide molecules. Forensic anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone and his colleagues report that this is consistent with the composition of the blood decomposed by the extreme heat. It is important to note that sediment occurs both near metal artifacts, such as coins, rings or other personal items found near the remains, and on and near bones in the absence of metal objects nearby.
“In this study, we are providing for the first time convincing experimental data showing the rapid evaporation of fluids and soft tissues from victims of the tragedy in Herculaneum due to exposure to extreme high temperatures,” the researchers wrote in the official report.
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In other words, the hot cloud of the eruption literally boiled the bodies of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire. What's more, the researchers claim that the vaporized body fluids exploded from the inside. Close examination of the bones of the skull revealed that they are covered with a dark mineral sediment, both inside and outside. Scientists hypothesize that boiling the brain led to an increase in internal pressure and, as a result, an explosion of the skull. An incredibly cruel and merciless death.
Vesuvius is still active today. The extreme eruption took place not so long ago - in 1944. Despite this, more than 3 million people live at its foot.