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Garden of Fugitives

Location: Regio I

Insula 21

Garden of Fugitives became the last resting place for a group of Pompeii residents. DNA analysis indicated that it was a family group that were covered by the last wave of Vesuvius eruptions. Apparently they couldn't leave the city since some of the members were incapable of moving too fast. They stayed in Pompeii and received their horrible fate.

No one even thought that Mount Vesuvius is an active stratovolcano. The last time it erupted was 1800 years before. Then he incidentally destroyed several cities and villages of the Bronze Age. Since then, people have forgotten about the destruction and settled the territory again.

Theoretically, all the inhabitants of Pompeii could avoid death and flee the city. After all, the city was not destroyed at an instance. The eruption lasted for several hours from 24 to 25 August and in two days covered the city of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum with geological sediments 6 meters or 20 feet deep. However, their religious notions played a cruel joke on the inhabitants of Pompeii. The fact is that the holiday of Vulkanal (dedicated to the god Vulcan) was celebrated in the Roman Empire on August 23 that is, one day before the eruption. The inhabitants of Pompeii did not know that Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano. When they saw a column of smoke over the mountain, many took it as a good sign. God Vulcan settled near Pompeii.

For a long time, citizens did not try to escape from the city. Some even decided to visit baths and other places. Only when buildings began to collapse under the weight of the sediment it became clear that it was time to run. A group of people in the Garden of the Fugitives waited until the last minute to try to escape from Pompeii. Unfortunately, their current situation does not correspond to how and where they were found. Only the description of the Garden of Fugitives remained, where you can clearly see the sequence of people in this sad procession.

Garden of Fugitives was the last refuge for a group of inhabitants of Pompeii. Several families was found here, killed on August 25, 79. At Nutser Gateway, archaeologists found a whole group of people 13 people of different ages. Apparently they were covered by the sixth and last wave of the eruption of Vesuvius, which reached Pompeii at 8 am on August 25, 79 years old. A DNA analysis of the surviving bones of the fugitives showed that they are roughly divided into three groups. Two of them were obviously peasants. Their teeth quality and the presence of certain minerals spoke of a simple diet. Another body belonged to a wealthy merchant. His bones were obviously better in quality, and he had a fair amount of coins with him.

Obviously, they could not leave the city, as some family members were not able to move too fast. When they nevertheless left their dwelling, they moved south-east to the Nutser Gate. There they remained in a small garden, where they met their terrible fate.

The moment of death of the fugitives essentially stopped their lives in one second, when they were covered by a pyroclastic flow. A group of thirteen fugitives decided to flee, first in this family group there was a servant carrying a bag hurriedly filled with provisions on his shoulder. Archaeologists have found him where he fell, near the wall of the Garden. Then, hand in hand, two peasant boys, about four and five years old, walked behind him. Finally, the parents of the children followed, the peasant supported his weakened wife. For the family of the peasant was another young peasant couple with their daughter. Unfortunately, her body is very poorly preserved. We have only the vague outlines of a girl. It is clear that she was very small and very thin. At the end of the procession there was a merchant's family — two young boys in their teens, followed by their mother and a younger sister. The last figure in this procession was the merchant himself. He did not lie like the rest of the group, but was still sitting upright, his right arm pressed against small hill, and his back was arched to rise. Apparently the man was of amazing fortitude if until the last minute he was not broken under such circumstances.