Pompeii

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Surprise Find: Pompeii Residents Had 'Perfect Teeth'

Also, study suggests many died from head injuries, not suffocation

(Newser) - High-tech scans of Pompeii residents killed in the long-ago eruption of Mount Vesuvius have provided two revelations: They had amazing teeth, and many were killed by falling masonry and other objects—as opposed to the widely held theory that they were suffocated by ash. As for the first: Thank a...

4 &#39;Bystanders&#39; Who Changed History Forever

 4 'Bystanders' 
 Who Changed 
 History Forever 
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4 'Bystanders' Who Changed History Forever

Sometimes you're just in the right place at a significant time

(Newser) - The people who were actively involved in historical events are important, of course—but in many cases, so are the bystanders, the witnesses, the people who just so happened to be in the right place at the right, or at least a significant, time. Ozy looks at six such people...

'Exceptional' Pompeii Find Predates City's Destruction

French archaeologists discover pre-Roman tomb

(Newser) - The ancient city of Pompeii holds many treasures, but the most recent find hails to a time long before the city was destroyed. French archaeologists unexpectedly discovered an undisturbed pre-Roman tomb that dates to fourth century BC. The remains of an adult woman were inside, along with clay jars called...

Greek God's Big Feature Reveals Medical Issue: Expert

Priapus appears happily well-endowed, but ...

(Newser) - A Greek god portrayed in one of Pompeii's best-known frescoes has quite the prominent feature—for better and for worse, apparently. The painting of fertility god Priapus, which survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, depicts a man whose phallus extends nearly to his knees and the fruit basket sitting...

'Underwater Pompeii' Discovered Off Greece

Buildings just 6 feet underwater near island of Delos

(Newser) - It was believed that underwater ruins off the Greek island of Delos were simply ancient docks—but now experts are telling a much more exciting story. They've found what's left of several buildings, including a pottery workshop, at the site just six feet below the surface. The ruins...

50 Years Later, Woman Returns Stolen Piece of Pompeii

She felt bad about taking the artifact during her honeymoon

(Newser) - It's been more than half a century since a certain unidentified Canadian woman took a piece of Pompeii home with her, but it seems her guilt got the better of her: She has finally brought it back to the site, the BBC reports. The woman was on her honeymoon...

Pompeii&#39;s Latest Woe: Thieves
 Pompeii's Latest Woe: Thieves 

Pompeii's Latest Woe: Thieves

Now a fresco has been stolen from the ancient site

(Newser) - The problems in Pompeii keep piling up—and crumbling down. Just weeks after portions of two of its structures collapsed under heavy rainfall, the ancient city has become the victim of theft, Reuters reports. A custodian discovered that thieves had last Wednesday taken an eight-inch fragment from a fresco showing...

Ancient Pompeii Is Collapsing
 Ancient Pompeii Is Collapsing 

Ancient Pompeii Is Collapsing

Parts of 2 structures crumbled over weekend

(Newser) - Pompeii's "perfectly preserved" streets were uncovered in 1748; centuries later, that perfect preservation no longer holds. A series of collapses have fouled the site in recent years, with officials confirming that an 11-foot-long stretch of tomb wall was found to have crumbled early yesterday, on the heels of...

Pompeii-Like Eruption Froze Ancient Animals in Place

Researchers come up with explanation for 125M-year-old fossil bed in China

(Newser) - Scientists have long been captivated by the fossil beds of China's Liaoning province, where an incredibly diverse and well-preserved collection of animals was fossilized about 125 million years ago in a mysterious mass death. Now, they think they finally have an explanation for the ecosystem that became known as...

Italian 'Super Volcano' May Threaten Millions

Scientists plan to drill deep below Romans' 'hell gateway'

(Newser) - A hidden "super volcano" near Pompeii threatens an eruption that could make Vesuvius look like a picnic, scientists warn. The Phlegraean Fields zone of intense seismic activity—which the ancient Romans believed was the gateway to hell—could doom millions of people in the Naples area if it erupts,...

Herculaneum Sewer Reveals Roman Diet of 2,000 Years Ago

 Ancient Sewer 
 Reveals 
 Roman Diet 
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Ancient Sewer Reveals Roman Diet

Scientists sift through waste to find veggie-heavy evidence

(Newser) - Researchers have discovered the biggest load of crap from ancient Rome, and they're using it to determine how Romans lived 2,000 years ago. After sifting through 750 sacks of human excrement discovered in the sewers below the town of Herculaneum, scientists have deduced that Romans ate a lot...

More Pompeii Ruins Collapse
 More Pompeii Ruins Collapse 

More Pompeii Ruins Collapse

Critics say Berlusconi neglects historical site

(Newser) - Two thousand years after that volcano did a number on Pompeii, the ancient Roman city is having another rough stretch. Two more walls collapsed today, reports the BBC . It's the second collapse this week and follows the collapse of the famous gladitorial house last month. The latest ruins to fall...

Pompeii's 'House of Gladiators' Collapses

Experts blame collapse on mismanagement

(Newser) - Archeologists accused the Italian government of mismanaging the Roman ruins at Pompeii after a 2,000-year-old house once used by gladiators collapsed over the weekend. The "House of the Gladiators"—used by gladiators as a locker room and training area—was known for the frescoes of military adventures...

Mini-Pompeii Discovered in Norway

5,500-year-old site was found beneath three feet of sand

(Newser) - Though it was likely flooded with water and sand, not lava, a buried settlement discovered in southern Norway is being touted as a mini-Pompeii. Norwegian archaeologists found the site, which has slumbered untouched for some 5,500 years, beneath about three feet of sand, reports Discovery News . So far they've...

Google Street View Reveals Ruins of Pompeii
 Google Street View 
 Reveals Ruins of Pompeii 
time travel

Google Street View Reveals Ruins of Pompeii

New photos allow immersive experience of Italian ruins

(Newser) - Google's roaming photographers have found their way to ruins of Pompeii, and you can now tour the Italian archaeological treasure from the comfort of your own home using Street View. The Google Maps app, which creates an immersive 3-D environment from digital photographs, had previously focused on more traditional—and...

Bailout Won't Bail Out Bernanke
 Bailout Won't 
 Bail Out Bernanke 
OPINION

Bailout Won't Bail Out Bernanke

Nation needs explanation of how it will help

(Newser) - The economic bailout plan does nothing to address the "collapse in confidence" hammering the financial system, Christopher Carroll writes for the Financial Times. Using the example of the "Bank of Rome" in August, 79 AD, the Johns Hopkins economist argues that the plan makes as much sense...

Archaeologists Unearth Part of Roman Throne

First finding of its kind is decorated with ivory bas-reliefs of gods

(Newser) - Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a Roman throne in the volcanic ash that buried the city of Herculaneum when Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year 79. Scientists unearthed two legs and the back of a throne, the first ever found. The piece was decorated with ivory bas-reliefs of ancient...

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