Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered by volcanic ash in 79 A.D. It was not until the 18th Century that they were uncovered by archeologists. Originally, the Pompeii site was no secret as some of the taller buildings protruded a bit, but in 471 and 512 had further eruptions that completely covered the area. Locals knew there was something special there and called the site La Civita (“the settlement”). And robbers knew about it. Marble statues had been stolen by enterprising diggers. But the world did not know. In 1592, architect Domenico Fontana dug an underground aqueduct through part of what had been Pompeii. He discovered wall paintings, but he kept it to himself! In 1738, workers digging the foundation for a palace for the King of Naples uncovered Herculaneum. On April 1, 1748, Pompeii was rediscovered by excavators. Both sites were used for acquiring artifacts for a museum in Naples, but there was no scientific excavation. In 1763, an inscription revealed that the site was Pompeii. In 1860, Guiseppe Fiorelli took charge and began expert archeological excavating. He is most famous for realizing that vacuums in the ash were where people had died. He filled in the cavities with plaster to reveal the stunning images of the dead. These victims died from several causes. Some were instantly killed by searing heat of more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Others by toxic gases. And some died when the roofs of their refuges collapsed from the weight of volcanic pumice.
https://italyinsight.com/bizarre-things-about-pompeii-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii
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