Angela
Veteran member
- Messages
- 21,783
- Reaction score
- 12,343
- Points
- 113
- Ethnic group
- Italian
See:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristi...s-victims-archaeologists-reveal/#24d785bdcc33
", Oplontis is not often taught in Roman archaeology courses; but it is perhaps even more interesting because of its odd set-up. One massive structure on site is a wealthy villa, known as the Villa of Poppaea (wife of emperor Nero) due to the discovery of an amphora with her name on it. This villa was not occupied at the time of the volcanic eruption, but a second structure just a few hundred meters away preserved dozens of residents for two millennia."
" Italian archaeologists were able to excavate into the numerous rooms of this building -- and in one room, they found over 50 skeletons, presumably of people who were waiting to be rescued by the Roman navy on the fateful day of August 24, 79 AD."
"one young adult female - who was either wearing or lying on fabric and had an oil lamp and coins with her - was found to have a 36-week-old fetus inside her. Preservation of the fetal bones was excellent, and I recovered even the tiny bones from the hands and feet."
"There was no indication that the people from Oplontis were suffering from anemia or infections at their deaths, which is surprising given the long history of malaria and other diseases known from 1st century AD Italy. But many people did have to deal with poor dental health -- evidence of periodontal disease, cavities, tooth loss, and plaque abounds, even among children."
I'll insert my own opinion here. I don't find anything surprising about it at all. That area was drained of its swamps.
"These newly analyzed skeletons from Oplontis are a game-changer in Roman bioarchaeology, since they represent people who all died catastrophically, rather than after an illness. This means that these skeletons give archaeologists a better glimpse into what life was like for people in their prime than do cemetery burials.
And the analysis at Oplontis isn't over. As the lead on the skeletal side of the project, I am collaborating with scholars around the world to accomplish isotope, trace element, parasite, and DNA analysis in order to learn more about biological relationships, diseases people were suffering from, food they were eating, and their physical responses to other environmental changes, such as earthquakes that struck the area in 62 and 64 AD."
I certainly hope that in doing this analysis they are careful in examining the context. Is there any way to determine if these were slaves or free citizens? Is there any indication of "ties" to other parts of the empire, and on and on.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristi...s-victims-archaeologists-reveal/#24d785bdcc33
", Oplontis is not often taught in Roman archaeology courses; but it is perhaps even more interesting because of its odd set-up. One massive structure on site is a wealthy villa, known as the Villa of Poppaea (wife of emperor Nero) due to the discovery of an amphora with her name on it. This villa was not occupied at the time of the volcanic eruption, but a second structure just a few hundred meters away preserved dozens of residents for two millennia."
" Italian archaeologists were able to excavate into the numerous rooms of this building -- and in one room, they found over 50 skeletons, presumably of people who were waiting to be rescued by the Roman navy on the fateful day of August 24, 79 AD."
"one young adult female - who was either wearing or lying on fabric and had an oil lamp and coins with her - was found to have a 36-week-old fetus inside her. Preservation of the fetal bones was excellent, and I recovered even the tiny bones from the hands and feet."
"There was no indication that the people from Oplontis were suffering from anemia or infections at their deaths, which is surprising given the long history of malaria and other diseases known from 1st century AD Italy. But many people did have to deal with poor dental health -- evidence of periodontal disease, cavities, tooth loss, and plaque abounds, even among children."
I'll insert my own opinion here. I don't find anything surprising about it at all. That area was drained of its swamps.
"These newly analyzed skeletons from Oplontis are a game-changer in Roman bioarchaeology, since they represent people who all died catastrophically, rather than after an illness. This means that these skeletons give archaeologists a better glimpse into what life was like for people in their prime than do cemetery burials.
And the analysis at Oplontis isn't over. As the lead on the skeletal side of the project, I am collaborating with scholars around the world to accomplish isotope, trace element, parasite, and DNA analysis in order to learn more about biological relationships, diseases people were suffering from, food they were eating, and their physical responses to other environmental changes, such as earthquakes that struck the area in 62 and 64 AD."
I certainly hope that in doing this analysis they are careful in examining the context. Is there any way to determine if these were slaves or free citizens? Is there any indication of "ties" to other parts of the empire, and on and on.