An Earthquake Killed Two People at Pompeii Before Mount Vesuvius Could

In Peacock’s new Roman gladiator series from executive producer Roland Emmerich, Those About to Die, the games aren’t the only cause of death on screen. Toward the middle of the season, Mount Vesuvius erupts, destroying the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, sending refugees flooding into Rome, and killing tens of thousands.

The vast majority of Vesuvius’ victims died as a result of inhaling ash, other particulates, and toxic gasses; they died of heat exposure, or were overcome by pyroclastic flows. However they died, it was almost always as a direct result of typical volcanic phenomena. Recently, though, researchers discovered two previously unknown victims who died not from the eruption, but from massive blunt trauma when their house collapsed around them.

An analysis of the site and a chronological recreation of events has concluded the two victims likely died during a simultaneous eruption before the eruption really kicked off. The discovery was made during an excavation at The House of the Chaste Lovers and was published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science.

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Simultaneous Earthquake Claimed Two Victims During Eruption of Mount Vesuvius

Credit: Getty Images

While the ash, lava, and toxic gasses Vesuvius unleashed were absolutely deadly, simultaneous earthquakes also caused their fair share of destruction. A series of earthquakes were reported in the days leading up to the eruption and researchers believe that a syn-eruptive earthquake (happening at the same time as the eruption) claimed the lives of at least two people.

Two skeletons with crush injuries were found in a room of the excavation site, seemingly crushed by a collapsed wall. Analysis of the skeletal features suggests both victims were 55 years of age or older and probably male. Victim 1 was found with more than 20 rib fractures on each side of the chest, crush injuries in the facial bones, pelvis, and the limbs. Taken together, the injuries are consistent with being crushed by a large piece of falling wall. Death was likely instant.

The second victim had a lower number of fractures on the left side and seemed to be buried only at the level of the legs. “Plaster fragments were in direct contact with the right femur and released red pigments that colored its surface,” study authors wrote. This victim was found huddled with the left hand protecting the head, suggesting they were aware of the danger and trying to protect themselves.

The eruption kicked off around 1:00 in the afternoon when a column of ash, pumice, and smoke rose into the air and fell back down onto the city. It filled the streets, eventually spilling through doorways and windows, flowing into buildings where people were taking shelter. Ash continued to fill the city for about 18 hours and it’s during this period that researchers think the earthquake hit and the wall collapsed.

The next day, pyroclastic flows carrying killer clouds of toxic gas washed into the city, suffocating everyone who remained. By then, the victims at The House of the Chaste Lovers were already dead. Ancient Rome, circa 79 AD, was awash with interesting and horrifying ways to die, Vesuvius was only one of them.

Catch Mount Vesuvius erupting again in Those About to Die, starring Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon, streaming now on Peacock.