Italian officials, under criticism for failing to save some of the city of Pompeii's historical ruins, were hoping to make a splash with the opening of the ancient thermal baths following an extensive excavation.
They made more than a splash.
In preparation to open the baths to the public on Monday, December 2, authorities found the skeletal remains of a child likely killed when the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius buried the city in the year 79 A.D.
The remains are believed to be that of a child between the ages of eight and 10
"He or she was looking for shelter, and found death instead," Alberta Martellone, the archaeologist who led a team that studied the skeleton of the child, said. "It was an emotionally charged dig."
Pompeii is the second most-visited tourist attraction in Italy after the Colosseum in Rome, with just under 4 million visitors in 2019. But Italian officials came under fierce criticism in 2010 after Pompeii's famous 'House of the Gladiators' collapsed, raising questions about whether the government had both the financial resources and ambition to save and support its archaeological heritage.
Two years later, the Great Pompeii Project was launched to protect and enhance the city's famous landmarks, including the baths. Pompeii's thermal baths were designed to be the centerpiece of the city on par with Emperor Nero's baths in Rome, including some of the marble pillars that remain to this day.
In addition, a fresco was also found on one of the walls of the bathhouse as well an inscription that proves the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius took place after Oct. 17, 79, and not in August, as originally believed.
Surprisingly, there are still whole areas that have yet to be explored by modern-day archaeologists.
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