“Unbelievable Transformation: How a Mount Vesuvius Eruption Turned a Man’s Brain to Glass”
Unlike the bodies of those in a previous study, who had all died inside boathouses, this victim was buried by a mound of volcanic ash inside a building called the Collegium Augustalium.
Petrone believes the victim was likely the caretaker of the building, which was related to an imperial cult that worshipped former Emperor Augustus.
Based on the charred wood from the bed where the body had been laying, researchers determined the room likely reached a scorching temperature of 968 degrees Fahrenheit.
Damage to the corpse suggested the man’s skull had also exploded due to the extreme heat in a fashion similar to the boathouse victims, except his brain then vitrified into glass.
This suggested that a rapid drop in temperature may have followed in the immediate environment surrounding this particular victim.
An analysis confirmed that the glassy material was indeed brain tissue, identifying proteins from different areas of the human brain, such as the wrinkled cerebral cortex, the amygdala, and the substantia nigra. Researchers also identified fatty acids normally found in human hair grease.
Alberto Incrocci/Getty ImagesMount Vesuvius’ devastating eruption in 79 A.D. killed countless residents in the neighboring towns.
“This suggests extreme radiant heat was able to ignite body fat and vaporize soft tissues; a rapid drop in temperature followed,” the study noted. The team also found some of the man’s bones showing signs of glassiness, while parts of his chest bones were covered in a solid spongy mass.
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