Romans returned to Pompeii to live among the ruins of the city after it was devastated by a volcanic eruption, archaeologists have revealed.
Researchers believe some survivors who were not able to afford to leave went on to return to the site where they were then joined by others looking for a place to settle.
Before the eruption of Vesuvius, Pompeii was home to more than 20,000 people.
GETTY |
Before the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius, Pompeii was home to more than 20,000 people
Although the eruption lay waste to the city in 79 AD, it was buried and well-preserved before its rediscovery in the 16th century.
Archaeologists said on Wednesday that a previous theory regarding survivors returning to the ruins has now been proved by new research.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Pompeii site, said: "Thanks to the new excavations, the picture is now clearer: post-79 Pompeii reemerges, less as a city than as a precarious and grey agglomeration, a king of camp, a favela among the still-recognisable ruins of the Pompeii that once was."
It is believed the informal settlement continued until the 5th century.
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|It is believed the informal settlement in Pompeii continued until the 5th century
Researchers said the ruins provided the opportunity to find precious goods as people lived without the infrastructure and services of a typical Roman city.
It is believed the survivors lived above the ash by using the second floors of buildings, and converting the lower floors into cellars.
According to Zuchtriegel, Pompeii's destruction has taken over how we think of the ancient city as it stood.
As such, in the rush to discover the city's well-preserved artefacts, "The faint traces of the site's reoccupation were literally removed and often swept away without any documentation".
GETTY
|Although the eruption lay waste to the city in 79AD, it was buried and well preserved, before its rediscovery in the 16th century
It comes after an ancient erotic mosaic was returned to Pompeii last month after nearly 80 years.
The artwork was stolen by a Nazi captain during the Second World War, before it was then gifted to a civilian.
Upon his death, the civilian's heirs contacted authorities to organise the return of the panel.
Zuchtriegel described the return as "healing an open wound", and explained how the return of the stolen art shows a shift in mentality as "the sense of possession becomes a heavy burden".