Ancient Remains of Horse Discovered at Pompeii

The Local ^ | May 11, 2018 | Jessica Phelan

[SunkenCiv]

For the first time ever, archaeologists have been able to cast the complete figure of a horse that perished in the volcanic eruption at Pompeii. The "extraordinary" discovery was made outside the city walls, in Civita Giuliana to the north of Pompeii proper, the site's directors announced this week. Excavation in the area revealed what archaeologists identified as a stable, complete with the remains of a trough. Using the same technique that has allowed them to recreate the final poses of dozens of Pompeii's victims, whereby liquid plaster is injected into the cavities left behind when bodies encased in volcanic matter decomposed, they were able to cast the horse as it would have lain when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. From the remains of its skeleton, they believe the horse was an adult measuring around 150 centimetres tall at the withers: on the short side by today's standards, but given that horses were probably smaller at the time, the experts say it would have been exceptionally large for its time. That, along with the fact that traces of a harness in valuable iron and bronze were found by its head, suggests that the animal was a specially bred parade horse, probably of considerable value. While the skeletons of donkeys and mules have been found at Pompeii, in a stable attached to the Casa dei Casti Amanti ('House of the Chaste Lovers'), it's the first time archaeologists have unearthed the complete outline of a horse. The distinct imprint left by its ear, pressed to the ground as the animal lay on its left side, makes them confident this is indeed a horse and not another type of equid.

[colorado tanker]

Good one!

[Jack Hammer]

LOL.

[SunkenCiv]

whoops.

Extraordinary Pompeii discovery: Racehorse remains found among ancient city’s ruins
Fox News.com | May 14, 2018 | James Rogers
Posted on 05/14/2018 2:29:58 PM PDT by Kaslin
ahttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3655204/posts