A new examination of 14 plaster casts from Pompeii has uncovered an unexpectedly intimate clue: several victims were dressed in thick wool garments when Vesuvius began to erupt. Led by archaeologist Llorenç Alapont and presented at a November conference near the ancient city, the research hasn’t yet been peer‑reviewed but it’s already drawing attention.
For archaeologists, that wool hints at a cooler season, possibly autumn. In a city frozen in ash, even the weave of a sleeve becomes evidence, inviting us to imagine the final hours of ordinary Romans caught in an extraordinary catastrophe.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see what else the evidence reveals.