The skeleton of a child has been unearthed from the ruins of Pompeii, as was announced yesterday. It is the first time in about fifty years such a find has been discovered at the site. The discovery even surprised archaeologists who thought that the baths had been fully excavated.
The discovery was made at the city’s central bathhouse, while archaeologists were sweeping the baths complex with scanning instruments. It was buried 10 cm below the surface.
The child was probably seven or eight years old and when Mount Vesuvius erupted it sought refuge at the city’s baths. It probably died from poisonous fumes and was eventually covered in volcanic ash. Then, when it rained the ash probably solidified.
The bones have been removed and early analyses have helped define the child’s age. Hopefully further tests and DNA analysis will yield more information as to the child’s sex, its exact age and whether it was suffering from any illnesses.
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