Vesuvius Exploded in August—So Why Were Pompeii Victims Wearing Heavy Clothing?

Many scholars agree that Mount Vesuvius exploded on August 24th, 79 CE, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum. So why were some unfortunate victims wearing heavy wool clothing on the day they perished? Such is the question posed by intriguing new research.

The date of this well-known tragedy is actually a contentious topic among historians of Pompeii. The University of Valencia’s ÁTROPOS research group on the culture of death has joined the debate by analyzing victims’ clothing. After…