Latest news with #GabrielZuchtriegel
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
After Mount Vesuvius Demolished Pompeii, People Returned to Live Among the Ruins
In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted in what would become one of humanity's most infamous ancient tragedies. Tens of centuries later, archaeologists eagerly dug through the ash and pumice to rediscover the buried Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in all their preserved glory. In their eagerness, however, they may have missed an important layer of history. While working in the Insula meridionalis—the southern quarter of Pompeii's ancient urban center—archaeologists uncovered evidence confirming the hypothesis that, after 79 CE, people returned to live among Pompeii's ruins for hundreds of years. The team's findings, which they describe in a study published this week in Pompeii's excavation's E-Journal, shed light on events that have long lived in the shadow of better-studied history. 'The epochal episode of the destruction of the city in 79 AD has monopolized memory,' Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director general of Pompeii's archaeological park and co-author of the study, said in a park statement. 'In the enthusiasm of reaching the levels of '79, with wonderfully preserved frescoes and still-intact furnishings, the faint traces of the site's reoccupation were literally removed and often swept away without any documentation.' Not all survivors of that terrible day would have had the means to start over somewhere else. According to the researchers, this could explain why some may have returned to the destroyed city, whose upper levels were still visible above the ashes. Soon enough, vegetation would have also grown back. The returning former residents may have also been joined by other people 'with nothing to lose,' according to the statement. After all, there were riches to be found among the ashes and victims' bodies. As such, life returned to Pompeii. People lived among the ruins of the buildings' upper floors, using the former ground floors as cellars and caves to set up fireplaces, ovens, and mills. Archaeological evidence suggests that the new community was likely a precarious settlement without the usual ancient Roman infrastructure and services. Nonetheless, the settlement lasted until the 5th century CE. Another devastating volcanic eruption may have played a role in the city's final abandonment. 'Thanks to the new excavations, the picture is now clearer: post-79 Pompeii re-emerges,' Zuchtriegel explains. 'Instead of a city, [it's] a precarious and grey agglomeration, a kind of camp, a favela among the still-recognizable ruins of the Pompeii of old.' Footprints Reveal Ancient Escape From Vesuvius—1,800 Years Before Pompeii's Destruction Emperor Tito had actually tasked two ex-consuls with promoting the re-founding of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Needless to say, the mission was a failure. 'In these cases, we archaeologists feel like psychologists of memory buried in the earth: we bring out the parts removed from history,' concluded Zuchtriegel. 'This phenomenon should lead us to a broader reflection on the archaeological unconscious, on everything that is removed or obliterated or remains hidden, in the shadow of other apparently more important things.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pompeii's second life: New evidence suggests the city was reoccupied after devastating eruption
Though the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD turned Pompeii into a city of ash, killing up to a fifth of its 20,000 residents and leaving it in ruins, new evidence suggests that some survivors - and possibly newcomers - returned to the smouldering remains to rebuild their lives. Fresh excavations from the Insula Meridionalis (Southern Block) of the archaeological park have revealed post-eruption modifications to buildings, signs of domestic activity, and adaptive reuse of the ruins. Researchers now believe this post-eruption community lived in makeshift conditions, transforming the ruined homes into a kind of survivalist settlement. Upper floors were re-inhabited while the ground levels - once elegant Roman spaces - were repurposed into cellars with ovens and mills. These settlers may have included not only former residents, but also newcomers with nothing to lose - hoping to survive among the wreckage or even unearth valuables left behind. Related Roman-era erotic mosaic panel stolen by Nazi captain during World War II returns to Pompeii From priestesses to prostitutes: New exhibition uncovers the lives of women in Pompeii 'Judging by the archaeological data, it must have been an informal settlement where people lived in precarious conditions, without the infrastructure and services typical of a Roman city,' researchers said in a statement. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the site added: "Thanks to the new excavations, the picture is now clearer: post-79 Pompeii re-emerges, more than a city, a precarious and grey agglomeration, a kind of camp, a favela among the still recognisable ruins of the Pompeii that once was." The research team believes this period of reoccupation may have continued until the 5th century, when another volcanic event - known as the "Pollena eruption" - likely forced the final abandonment of the site. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
New evidence at Pompeii show signs of life after deadly eruption
Archaeologists have discovered new evidence pointing to the reoccupation of Pompeii following the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius that left the city in ruins, the directors of the famous site said Wednesday. Despite the massive destruction suffered by Pompeii, an ancient Roman city home to more than 20,000 people before the eruption, some survivors who could not afford to start a new life elsewhere are believed to have returned to live in the devastated area. Archaeologists believe they were joined by others looking for a place to settle and hoping to find valuable items left by Pompeii's earlier residents in the rubble. "Judging by the archaeological data, it must have been an informal settlement where people lived in precarious conditions, without the infrastructure and services typical of a Roman city," before the area was completely abandoned in the fifth century, they said in a statement. While some life returned to the upper floors of the old houses, the former ground floors were converted into cellars with ovens and mills. "Thanks to the new excavations, the picture is now clearer: post-79 Pompeii reemerges, more than a city, a precarious and grey agglomeration, a kind of camp, a favela among the still recognizable ruins of the Pompeii that once was," said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the site. Evidence that the site was reoccupied had been detected in the past, but in the rush to access Pompeii's colorful frescoes and still-intact homes, "the faint traces of the site's reoccupation were literally removed and often swept away without any documentation." "The momentous episode of the city's destruction in 79 AD has monopolized the memory," said Zuchtriegel. Archaeologists estimate that 15-20% of Pompeii's population died in the eruption, mostly from thermal shock as a giant cloud of gases and ash covered the city. Volcanic ash buried the Roman city, perfectly preserving the homes, public buildings, objects and even the people until its discovery in the late 16th century. Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Italy's second most-visited tourist spot after the Colosseum in Rome, with some 4.17 million visitors last year. It covers a total area of approximately 22 hectares (54.4 acres), a third of which is still buried under ash. The new findings mark the latest in a string of recent discoveries in Pompeii this year. In April, life-sized statues of a man and a woman were discovered in a tomb at the site. In February, paintings depicting Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, were discovered. The images were painted on the walls of a large banquet room. The month before that, archaeologists excavated a large private bathhouse that included multiple rooms and a plunge pool. Sneak peek: The Strange Shooting of Alex Pennig Neil deGrasse Tyson weighs in on plans for a moon-based nuclear reactor Breaking down the Trump tariffs economic goals
Euronews
5 days ago
- Science
- Euronews
Survivors and settlers returned to Pompeii ruins, new research shows
Though the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD turned Pompeii into a city of ash, killing up to a fifth of its 20,000 residents and leaving it in ruins, new evidence suggests that some survivors - and possibly newcomers - returned to the smouldering remains to rebuild their lives. Fresh excavations from the Insula Meridionalis (Southern Block) of the archaeological park have revealed post-eruption modifications to buildings, signs of domestic activity, and adaptive reuse of the ruins. Researchers now believe this post-eruption community lived in makeshift conditions, transforming the ruined homes into a kind of survivalist settlement. Upper floors were re-inhabited while the ground levels - once elegant Roman spaces - were repurposed into cellars with ovens and mills. These settlers may have included not only former residents, but also newcomers with nothing to lose - hoping to survive among the wreckage or even unearth valuables left behind. 'Judging by the archaeological data, it must have been an informal settlement where people lived in precarious conditions, without the infrastructure and services typical of a Roman city,' researchers said in a statement. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the site added: "Thanks to the new excavations, the picture is now clearer: post-79 Pompeii re-emerges, more than a city, a precarious and grey agglomeration, a kind of camp, a favela among the still recognisable ruins of the Pompeii that once was." The research team believes this period of reoccupation may have continued until the 5th century, when another volcanic event - known as the "Pollena eruption" - likely forced the final abandonment of the site.
Times
5 days ago
- General
- Times
Eruption survivors returned to live in Pompeii's ruins
Survivors who fled Pompeii as it was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79 returned to eke out a 'post-apocalyptic' existence in the ruins of the Roman city, research has shown. Experts discovered ceramics, salvaged marble and ovens dated after the devastating volcanic eruption that proved the city was not entirely abandoned after Vesuvius showered it with pumice and a killer cloud of gas and boiling ash. 'Pompeii was reoccupied after the eruption of AD79 by survivors who had no means to start a new life elsewhere but also probably by homeless people from elsewhere searching for a place to stay and hoping to scavenge valuable possessions,' park experts said in a statement. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director, added: 'Rather than a city, it was more of a favela amid the ruins, a precarious and grey camp.' Recent digging has turned up fourth-century ceramics and coins as well as bread ovens built after the eruption, including one built into the side of an old well. • Erotic Roman mosaic stolen by a Nazi is returned to Pompeii Zuchtriegel, 44, said settlers had lived a 'post-apocalyptic' existence inches above the buried remains of mosaic and fresco-filled villas, ornate gardens, baths and once-busy streets. A series of recent digs has improved understanding of Pompeii's wealthy residents, revealing jewellery, opulent dining rooms and exquisite works of art. The returning settlers, by contrast, found shelter in the upper floors of homes poking out of the ash and dug down to turn buried ground-floor rooms into basements. 'They made do between the half-collapsed walls of upper floors, building temporary shelters and fires in the dust,' Zuchtriegel said. 'They dug down hoping to find precious materials, tools and material. 'Every now and then they would find a victim or the decomposing corpse of an animal. They dug wells to find the groundwater in a bid to transform the desert of the dead.' Pompeii had a population of about 20,000 in AD79 but only 1,300 buried victims have been found. A third of the city has yet to be excavated and residents might have died after fleeing, experts said, but the numbers nevertheless suggested many survived. Proof was also in the records of Pompeii survivors registering to live in neighbouring cities after AD79. • Villa of the Mysteries digs expose Pompeii's tomb-raiding riddle Immediately after the eruption the Roman emperor Titus sent two former consuls to organise the resettling of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum, also buried in the eruption. They tried to take over land and assets left by victims with no heirs to use to kickstart development. But efforts failed and Pompeii continued to be a city of dust. Zuchtriegel said another eruption of Vesuvius in AD472 was the last straw, prompting Pompeii's residents to leave for good. Signs of the reoccupied settlement after AD79 had been spotted before but overlooked, he said. 'The epocal destruction of the city has monopolised our memory. In the enthusiasm to dig down to the marvellously preserved frescoes and intact decorations, the traces of the reoccupation of the site were often removed without any documentation. Now, with new digging, the picture is becoming clearer,' he said.
