|
|
Article: Digging up the past; Great Excavations. By John Romer (Cassell, pounds 18.99). Reviewed by Richard Edmonds.(Books)
- Article from:
- The Birmingham Post (England)
- Article date:
- August 19, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The tragedy of Pompeii was given a new dimension in 1980 when Italian archaeologists excavating at Herculaneum found fresh evidence of a catastrophe which had overwhelmed the city 2000 years before.
On an ancient beach nearby, archeologists found the remains of a boat embedded 70ft below a tomb of hard volcanic pumice stone.
The boat was completely filled with corpses - all that was left of those who fled the eruptions of Vesuvius which turned Pompeii into a city of the dead.
Beside the stern lay the skeleton of the steersman, and for the rest ...