The eruption of Mount Vesuvius is traditionally dated to August 24, 79 AD — but the way Pompeii’s victims were dressed doesn’t look right for a hot summer day.
A team of researchers from the University of Valencia (Spain), led by Professor Llorenç Alapont, asked whether the disaster really happened on that August date or on a different day.
Pliny the Younger, the only eyewitness we have, watched the eruption from across the Bay of Naples and later wrote to the politician Tacitus that it began on the afternoon of August 24.
For the next two millennia, the victims of Pompeii remained buried under ash. They left behind body casts that archaeologists later used to create plaster molds that helped recreate the shapes of the deceased.
The authors of the new study examined 14 such casts and uncovered unprecedented information about clothing in the 1st century AD, as reported by IFLScience.
What Surprised the Scientists?
“By studying the casts, we learned how these people were dressed on that historic day. We observed the type of fabric and the weave, which was quite dense. Most victims wore two garments: a tunic and a cloak, both made of wool,” Professor Alapont said.
Given that wool was the most common material for clothing in ancient Roman times, it’s not surprising that the residents of Pompeii wore such attire. However, Alapont says the wool in those garments looks far too heavy for a hot August day.
Alapont suggests people may have put on those garments as protection against volcanic gases and heat. At the same time, the researchers say the clothing could indicate the eruption happened on a different, cooler day.
People who died indoors and those who died in the streets were wearing similarly warm clothing. Still, the researchers do not challenge the traditional August date — they say they don’t have enough evidence to prove the eruption happened on a different day.
These observations add to earlier arguments by other researchers that the eruption may have occurred in autumn or even winter.
For instance, a charcoal inscription found in Pompeii records the date October 17. Because charcoal is perishable, archaeologists think the inscription was probably made no more than a week before the eruption. Thus, some scholars suggest that Pompeii may have been destroyed on October 24, 79 AD.
Other finds also point to a later season: chestnuts, fermented wine, and remnants of fires.
Until stronger evidence emerges for a different date, the traditional August date stands — which means the city’s residents may have been wearing heavy wool garments that summer.
Photo: Unsplash
