The remains of victims from the deadly volcanic eruption in Pompeii have been discovered almost 2,000 years after the disaster.
A woman’s remains were unearthed with a collection gold, silver and bronze coins with a man laying nearby.
Archaeologists uncovered the skeletons inside a small, makeshift bedroom in a villa that was undergoing reconstruction when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.
It is believed the victims chose the small room as a refuge while they waited for the rain of ash and debris to subside.
However, they then found themselves trapped in the room after volcanic rocks blocked the door – preventing them from escaping from the fast-moving cloud of ash and debris.
Archaeologists uncovered the remains inside a small, makeshift bedroom in a villa that was undergoing reconstruction when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD
It is believed that the victims chose the small room as a refuge while they waited for the rain of ash and debris to subside. However, they then found themselves trapped in the room after volcanic rocks blocked the door
The new remains have remained undiscovered for nearly 2,000 years
The remains of the female victim had gold, silver and bronze roman coins nearby
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the site director at Pompeii, said.”The opportunity to analyse the invaluable anthropological data on the two victims … allows us to recover a considerable amount of data on the daily life of ancient Pompeians.’
The once-thriving city of Pompeii, near Naples, and the surrounding countryside was submerged by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius exploded.
It killed thousands of Romans who had no idea they were living beneath one of Europe’s biggest volcanoes which buried the city in a thick layer of ash, preserving many of its residents and buildings.
The ancient city was not rediscovered until the 16th century and the excavation of the site began in 1738 and has continued ever since.
In recent years the site has seen a burst of archaeological activity aimed at halting decades of decay and neglect.
In April, archeologists uncovered remarkably preserved ‘fresco’ paintings on a wall at a former private residence along Via di Nola, one of Pompeii’s longest streets.
One of the stunning artworks depicts Helen of Troy, a beautiful woman in Greek mythology, meeting Paris, prince of Troy, for the first time.
The frescos have been discovered in the ‘black room’, an ‘imposing’ banquet hall with elegant black walls at a former private residence along Via di Nola.
It’s being called the black room because it was painted black, likely to mask soot from oil lamps that would have burnt.
Conversely, the room’s mosaic floor is comprised of more than a million tiny and intricately arranged white tiles.