Archaeologists have uncovered the final moments of a family in Pompeii during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, according to a new study published in The Journal of the Geological Society and the E-Journal of the Pompeii Excavations.
The family attempted to lock themselves in a room as the disaster unfolded, using a bed wedged against the door to barricade themselves whilst volcanic debris poured in.
Park Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel explained that volcanic lapilli entered the Casa di Elle e Frisso through an opening in the atrium roof, forcing the family to seek refuge.
“In this small, wonderfully decorated house, we found traces of the residents who tried to save themselves, blocking the entrance to a small room with a bed, of which we made a cast,” Zuchtriegel told ANSA.
The family attempted to lock themselves in a room as the disaster unfolded, using a bed wedged against the door
POMPEII ARCHAELOGICAL PARK
He added that the lapilli were entering through the opening of the atrium’s roof, risking invasion of the space.
During the excavation, the remains of at least four people were found, including a child. The victims were discovered in panic positions, indicating they lived through those moments and saw their end approaching.
Among the remains was a bronze bulla, an amulet given to male children until they came of age as Roman citizens, which likely belonged to the child.
Plaster cast moulds of detected voids revealed the shape of the bed, along with the remains of the individuals.
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During the excavation, the remains of at least four people were found, including a child
POMPEII ARCHAELOGICAL PARK
The recent excavation of the Casa di Elle e Frisso, also known as the House of Elle and Phrixus, has revealed well-preserved rooms, including an atrium with an impluvium, a bedroom, and a banquet hall with richly decorated walls.
The house is named for a mythological fresco found in its triclinium depicting the tale of Phrixus and Helle, documented in 2018.
Excavations also uncovered household items such as amphorae for storing garum, a fermented fish sauce, and a set of bronze tableware.
These everyday objects signal a life abruptly interrupted by the eruption.
The recent excavation of the Casa di Elle e Frisso, also known as the House of Elle and Phrixus, has revealed well-preserved rooms
POMPEII ARCHAELOGICAL PARK
Some elements suggest the Casa di Elle e Frisso was undergoing renovation at the time of the eruption, including removed thresholds, absence of decoration in some areas, and traces of cutting portions of masonry at the entrance.
Despite these renovations, the house continued to be occupied by its inhabitants.
Caught by the eruption, they chose not to leave the building and met their deaths there.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE buried Pompeii, a Roman city near Naples, along with nearby towns of Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae.
During the eruption, the people of Pompeii were blanketed in rivers of toxic and hot gas, ash, and debris.
Several fast-moving pyroclastic flows of scorching gas and volcanic debris swept through the Casa di Elle e Frisso, engulfing it in temperatures between 180 and 360 degrees Celsius.
“Excavating and visiting Pompeii means confronting the beauty of art but also the precariousness of all our lives,” Zuchtriegel concluded.
