The Unknown Hero of Herculaneum

 

Being somewhat fascinated with volcanoes, this article about a reclassified skeleton in Herculaneum caught my eye.  Originally thought to be a simple soldier, the discovery of more items associated with the skeleton allowed archaeologists the chance to reassess who he was, with the tentative conclusion (we'll never know for sure) that this was an important Roman soldier, perhaps one attempting to rescue the fleeing (and doomed) citizens of Herculaneum.

First, from the Daily Mail:

Skeleton found in ruins of Herculaneum is identified as Roman officer who was killed while helping to rescue others during the Mount Vesuvius eruption 2,000 years ago

According to this article, the discovery of a backpack and some tools (and also some money) indicated he had some importance.

The BBC article was somewhat more detailed about the artifacts found.

Vesuvius ancient eruption rescuer identified at Herculaneum, says expert

"Twelve silver and two gold denarii coins were found in the man's possession - the equivalent of a month's salary for members of the elite Praetorian Guard, according to Mr Sirano.

His highly decorated gold and silver belt and a sword with an ivory handle indicate he was no ordinary soldier, while his bag contained tools likely to have been used by a faber navalis - one of the Guard's naval engineers specialised in carpentry."

Here's a picture of his sword, dagger, and tools.

 

Though we will never know for sure, one can imagine this soldier just "doing his job", and falling in the line of duty, attempting to rescue people under catastrophic, terrifying conditions. I salute him.