Ongoing Discovery at Pompeii | God's World News

Ongoing Discovery at Pompeii

06/20/2018
  • 1 Pompeii Dig
    An archaeologist works near the remains of a horse, found in the ruins of the stable belonging to a Pompeii villa. (AP)
  • 2 Pompeii Dig
    Scaffolding surrounds the dig site at Pompeii where the remains of a horse were found. (AP)
  • 3 Pompeii Dig
    This is a detail of a fresco found during excavation of the site of the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy. (AP)
  • 4 Pompeii Dig
    A painting depicts Mount Vesuvius erupting in 79 AD.
  • 5 Pompeii Dig
    Visitors to Pompeii walk down the streets of the part of the ancient city that has been uncovered. (AP)
  • 1 Pompeii Dig
  • 2 Pompeii Dig
  • 3 Pompeii Dig
  • 4 Pompeii Dig
  • 5 Pompeii Dig

God’s presence in the Bible sometimes sounds like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. “Clouds and thick darkness are all around Him…fire goes before Him…the Earth trembles…mountains melt like wax.” (Psalm 97) Was that what the residents of the Italian city of Pompeii experienced in A.D. 79? Almost 2,000 years later, archaeologists are still excavating unexplored parts of that buried city, and reporting new discoveries all along the way.

The blast from Mount Vesuvius on the west coast of Italy destroyed Pompeii and neighboring city Herculaneum. The eruption wasn’t a one-time event. One of the most active volcanoes in Europe, Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times in recorded history. It is considered one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes due to its proximity to the populous city of Naples—but also due to the nature of its historic eruptions.

Scientists say there is a tear in a tectonic plate beneath Vesuvius. The rift allows heat from the Earth’s mantle to super-heat the rock of that plate. Tremendous pressure builds up beneath the cone, so when the volcano blows, the result is violent.

The catastrophic eruption in A.D. 79 completely wiped out Pompeii—and its 30,000 residents—in just 25 hours. Pompeii was engulfed in a smothering layer of volcanic ash around noon on August 24. That was followed by a wave of volcanic mud at midnight. Then, around 6:30 am, a massive cloud of extremely hot gases took the lives of Pompeii’s residents instantly.

The ash and mud preserved the city in many cases. Volcanic sludge hardened around the remains of people and animals—which, today, exist as detailed cavities in the solidified material. Archaeologists fill those cavities with plaster which, when cured, produces intricate casts of the figures lost there. For this reason, Pompeii is a unique historical time capsule, giving up secrets about ancient Roman city life.

As research continues, so does discovery. Earlier this year, a previously unexplored area yielded a street of houses with intact balconies that were covered—and protected—in the eruption. Painted artwork remains on the walls, and some balconies still hold family amphorae—terra cotta vases for storing wine and oil.  

Another excavation unearthed a horse stable that became the final resting place of an ancient thoroughbred race horse. The cast of the horse shows it died lying on its left side. Its shape is clearly defined—a result of the organic material decaying within the hardened mass of covering ash, mud, and lava so long ago.