Researchers from the University of Rome Tre and the University of Naples Federico II have presented evidence that the bodies of Herculaneum residents faced extreme heat during the Vesuvius eruption, with signs that the soft tissues and blood boiled instantly and the skulls fractured from within. The findings build on earlier reports published in scientific journals.
When Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly two millennia ago, Pompeii and its people were buried under volcanic ash in a rapidly changing scene. Nearby Herculaneum, however, was reduced to ruins, and only a small portion of its inhabitants was recovered in the wake of the catastrophe.
In 2018, archaeologists identified the first clear indications that the city’s residents endured instantaneous thermal injury, and that some skulls experienced internal pressure that caused explosive failure. A 2020 discovery followed, revealing another skull containing fragments of glassy material that led researchers to infer brain vitrification, a transformation of brain tissue into a glass-like state.
In a recent study, scientists set out to estimate the actual temperatures that affected the people of Herculaneum during the catastrophe.
The team examined 40 charred wooden samples recovered from five different sites within the ancient city during excavations in the 1960s. They determined that temperatures initially surpassed 500 degrees Celsius and likely reached as high as 555 degrees Celsius. Such heat would have caused immediate fatal damage to the human body, leaving scattered ash and debris behind. The strongest temperature evidence appeared in wood samples located to the north of the city, where the brain vitrification had been observed in earlier finds.
Researchers did not rule out a future eruption of Vesuvius. They advised that buildings within the volcanic red zone, currently home to around 700,000 residents, should be upgraded to withstand extreme heat exposure. Where evacuation is not timely, protective retrofits could be essential for safeguarding communities against potential future events.