5 Intriguing Mysteries of Pompeii’s Last Day
There are many things that have been uncovered about Pompeii, but some mysteries still remain unknown.
Pompeii is one of the most visited historic sites in Italy. Many people are drawn to it because of its unique story. Though much of the ancient city has been covered, there are still mysteries that we don’t know today.
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There is still a third of the city that remains buried
You may be surprised to learn that the remains of Pompeii are still being uncovered. Roughly two-thirds of the city have been uncovered, but there is still more to be discovered.
Uncovering the ancient city is a long and tedious task for a couple of reasons. Everything that is uncovered needs to be thoroughly documented. It’s also important that things are uncovered with care in order to not further damage the ruins.
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Nobody is 100% certain when Mount Vesuvius erupted
The 24th of August in 79 AD is believed by many to be the date of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. However, according to recent findings, some scientists believe that the eruption may have occurred in the fall.
Uncovered market stalls have been found to have chestnuts, harvested wines, warmer clothing and other fall objects. When taking a look at these objects, many have inscriptions that date closer to October.
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It’s not clear how many people fled the city
Sadly, around 2,000 people died as a result of the eruption in Pompeii. There is evidence that some residents were able to flee Pompeii before disaster struck. Scholars believe that they moved to neighbouring communities to rebuild their lives. Nobody is certain how many people were able to escape the tragic eruption, but we know there were some.
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There are many things that were buried that are now gone
Pompeii’s ruins weren’t uncovered until the 1500s, though excavation didn’t begin until the 1700s. At that time, the king of Naples, Don Carlos, instructed engineers to begin digging up the site. Unfortunately, the excavation was done by untrained workers and treasure seekers. Because of this, many things disappeared from the site that were never documented.
The unmonitored digging stopped until an archeologist became the manager of excavations in the mid 1800s. After this, all sites and findings were thoroughly documented.
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Scholars don’t exactly know when the various zones of Pompeii were built
There are currently nine different regions that make up the ruins of Pompeii. It is believed that the town’s southwestern region is the oldest. However, not all scholars agree on when the walls were expanded.
Join a guided Pompeii tour to learn everything we know about the ruins and maybe one day we’ll have answers to these remaining mysteries.
