Ancient home shows evidence of how Pompeiians tried to shelter from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that four people, including a child, in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii used furniture to block a bedroom door and shield themselves from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Ultimately, the home became their final resting place, according to new research published in April in the E-Journal of the Pompeii Excavations.

During the catastrophic eruption, the volcano spewed hot, lethal gases and ash into the air, slowly killing most of the city’s population. Ash and volcanic rock called pumice then covered Pompeii and its residents, eerily preserving the victims’ last moments for millennia.

The excavation team made the discovery while investigating the House of Helle and Phrixus, named for a mythological painting found in the home.

Researchers partially investigated the home’s front rooms between 2018 and 2019, but the team behind the new study revisited the site over the past couple of years, exposing one-third of the building in preparation to restore and open it to the public, said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com

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