Recent archaeological findings suggest that Pompeii experienced a period of resettlement after the cataclysmic 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which reduced the city to rubble, according to statements made by the site’s directors on Wednesday.
Notwithstanding the immense devastation inflicted upon Pompeii, a Roman metropolis that housed over 20,000 inhabitants prior to the volcanic event, it is theorized that certain survivors, lacking the means to establish new lives elsewhere, returned to inhabit the ravaged locale.
Conjecturally, these returnees were joined by individuals seeking new domiciles and hoping to unearth valuable artifacts from the debris left behind by Pompeii’s former inhabitants.
“The archaeological evidence indicates the establishment of an unsystematic settlement, characterized by rudimentary living conditions and a deficiency in the essential infrastructure and services characteristic of Roman urban centers,” read a statement, noting that this informal community persisted until the area was entirely abandoned in the fifth century.
While some activity resumed on the upper levels of the extant dwellings, the original ground floors were repurposed into auxiliary spaces, incorporating facilities for storage, baking, and milling.
“Thanks to the latest excavations, a more lucid portrayal has emerged: Pompeii in the post-79 period is reappearing, not as a grand city, but as a fragile and austere collection of structures, akin to a temporary encampment or a makeshift settlement interspersed with the still-discernible ruins of its former self,” remarked Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the archaeological site.
Prior indications of the site’s reuse had previously been documented, but in the haste to access Pompeii’s vibrant frescoes and intact residences, “the subtle signs of the site’s subsequent habitation were effectively erased, often discarded without proper record-keeping.”
“The overwhelming legacy of the city’s destruction in 79 AD has preoccupied historical consciousness,” Zuchtriegel commented.
Estimates from archaeologists suggest that between 15% and 20% of Pompeii’s populace perished during the eruption, primarily due to thermal shock induced by a colossal plume of volcanic gases and ash that enveloped the city.
Subsequently, volcanic detritus blanketed the Roman city, preserving its structures, public edifices, artifacts, and even its inhabitants with remarkable fidelity until its rediscovery in the late sixteenth century.
As a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pompeii ranks as Italy’s second most frequented tourist destination, trailing only the Colosseum in Rome, having attracted approximately 4.17 million visitors in the preceding year.
The archaeological complex encompasses an expanse of roughly 22 hectares (54.4 acres), with one-third of its area remaining concealed beneath volcanic ash.
