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Archaeology & History

Pompeii victims did not suffocate

By T.K. Randall
October 25, 2010 · Comment icon 7 comments

Image Credit: Oliver Spalt
The victims of Pompeii would have died from the intense heat rather than through suffocation.
The residents of Pompeii stood little chance when Mt Vesuvius erupted right next to the city some 2000 years ago, experts now believe that its people would have died from the intense heat as oppose to slow suffocation from the volcanic ash.
Thousands of people in the Roman city were caught up in a firestorm in which they were exposed to temperatures of up to 1112F (600C), a team of Italian scientists believe.


Source: Telegraph | Comments (7)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Hadal 15 years ago
Quicker tham suffocation but still not a nice way to go
Comment icon #2 Posted by danielost 15 years ago
i heard this at least 5 years ago.
Comment icon #3 Posted by TatDaddy 15 years ago
Duh, they think huh! Anyone with any tiny bit of vulcan knowledge, or the Natgeo or discovery channel, knows about pyroclastic flow. The hot gas and ash that speeds down the slope of the volcano. Anything within its path is pretty much vaporized. Heres a pretty good link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyroclastic_flow
Comment icon #4 Posted by slowfade 15 years ago
Quicker tham suffocation but still not a nice way to go Agreed - really not a good way to go If anyone is interested, I recommend Mary Beard's book 'Pompeii', which is not only a really good read but also convincingly debunks a lot of the myths surrounding the eruption and its aftermath. Worth a look.
Comment icon #5 Posted by 27vet 15 years ago
What about those who tried to seek refuge in the houses?
Comment icon #6 Posted by Horus Christos 15 years ago
What about those who tried to seek refuge in the houses? The pyroclastic flow did not happen right away. In fact it was hours after the initial eruption. Some victims are found on top of feet of ash that fell before the heat from the pyroclastic flow killed all it its path.
Comment icon #7 Posted by minera 15 years ago
Every time we visit that area and along the highway that goes to the south of Italy, I just want to go as fast as possible to get away from being anywhere near that volcano. Its almost like panic, and I don't trust that vulcano at all. I don't know how people can live so close and in towns on its slopes.


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