The excavations of archaeologists in Pompeii have brought a new surprise when the remains of a land turtle with its fragile egg still inside before it could be deposited, perfectly preserved almost 2,000 years after an eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. paralyzed life in the city.
Archaeologists have found it half a meter deep under the floor of one of the taverns, or shops, on the central Via de la Abundance in the archaeological park, where research shared between the Oriental University of Naples, the Freie University of Berlin and the University of Oxford is investigating the remains of a luxurious house that was demolished after the earthquake of 62 AD. and annexed to the Stabiane thermal baths before the eruption of the volcano.
"Both the presence of the tortoise in the city and the abandonment of the sumptuous domus that ceded the site to the Stabiane baths sector illustrate the extent of the transformations after the earthquake", explained the director general of the archaeological park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
"Obviously not all the houses were rebuilt and some areas, also central, of the city were so little frequented that they became the habitat of wild animals," he said.
According to the researchers, the turtle most likely entered one of the spaces that had been created after the earthquake to take refuge and lay its egg. It is a specimen of Testudo hermanni, a local species. Turtles have a particularity, dystocia: they are capable of retaining their eggs even in very hostile environments and prefer to die rather than put them in a place that is not ideal.
But he was not lucky, because whoever was in charge of renovating the store did not see the turtle and its remains were covered without being seen. Almost 2,000 years later, its head, shell and one of its legs can be seen almost intact.
The Italian Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, has celebrated that the excavation campaigns in Pompeii continue to reserve important finds, "confirming the extraordinary wealth of this authentic chest of history and memory that fascinates the whole world".
