Within the ruins of Pompeii there were several human remains found, so we can only assume that these people chose to stay behind. The most probable reason for them to remain was that they were too poor, or they had nowhere else to go. In Herculaneum, there were far fewer human remains found. At first, archaeologists believed that everyone had survived; however, further discoveries told a more tragic tale. Along one strip of land, in and around arched vaults, over skeletons were discovered.
These vaults lined what would have been an ancient shoreline since the volcanic deposits pushed the coastline a few hundred metres into the sea. Crowded within each vault were around 40 skeletons. First, the toxic gases that issued from the volcano would have suffocated many that were downwind, like the inhabitants of Pompeii.
Second, falling rocks and other large debris caused houses to collapse, thereby crushing the residents. Third, the pyroclastic cloud of toxic gases and ash that swept through the towns could have killed people instantly with their heat and ferocity. Sometimes, the death was so quick that the victim was frozen in suspended action. More is being discovered every day in Pompeii and Herculaneum, opening a window to the past that no one could have imagined.
Step back in time as you wander through the streets and buildings, seeing what the lives of the citizens would have been like as they lived their final hours. Even if heat-driven hemoglobin breakdown did occur, the pyroclastic surges might have caused the damage after the people had already died of asphyxiation or other causes. Modern analogs may shed some light on the debate. Janine Krippner , a volcanologist at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, points out that pyroclastic flows and surges still happen today, and they are not always a guarantee of a quick, painless demise.
The outcome depends on how fast, hot, ashy, and gassy the currents are, among other things. If it is diluted enough, you might even be able to survive the severe heat-related trauma. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email.
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But now a group of researchers have a theory that, if true, would take the cake: That the helpless residents of Pompeii and Herculaneum died when their blood boiled and their skulls exploded during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius was a volcano that overlooked the Roman settlement of Pompeii , Italy, near modern-day Naples.
He points out that something else could have killed them, then their blood and brains boiled sometime after death. Whatever the case, the work highlights one of the overlooked dangers of volcanoes. While many people focus on the clouds of ash and slow-rolling lava, the real damage comes from the pyroclastic flows of gas and ash unleashed by an eruption. You do the math. Jason Daley is a Madison, Wisconsin-based writer specializing in natural history, science, travel, and the environment.
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