This is Interesting - To Say The Least.

[Minimalist]

https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.pre...-1.8439072

Remains Found by Pompeii Really Are Pliny the Elder, New Tests Indicate

The cranium really does belong to the Roman admiral who died leading a rescue mission after Vesuvius erupted, even if the jaw doesn't, researchers say

[circumspice]

I looked up additional info on Pliny the Elder. Everywhere I looked, the story was much the same. I vaguely recalled that Pliny's body was said to have been recovered & given a proper burial. So I continued to look. I didn't find anything though. However, in reading comments connected with one of the articles I found this comment. It echoed my thoughts on the subject. You be the judge...

Vladimir Stissi 03 February 2020 15:49
This whole fuzz is completely nonsensical, no wonder this was not published in a peer reviewed journal (and this find was never taken very seriously in the first place). Ancient texts clearly indicate Plinius' body was found after the eruption, which seems to imply it was recovered and properly buried, although this is not entirely certain. In any case, the group of bodies the skull (probably) belongs to was covered by the eruption and not seen again till the modern rediscovery. Unless we discredit the ancient texts (for which there is no reason) there is no reason to even consider the skull could have belonged to Pliny.

[Minimalist]

The article is dated Jan 23 and indicates that the findings were presented at that time. It's only two weeks ago.

The main finding of the researchers, who presented their conclusions at a conference in Rome on Thursday, is that the jawbone belonged to a different person, but that the skull is compatible with what we know about Pliny at his death.

I imagine at some point the test results on the teeth will be presented.

[Simon21]

Weren't Romans at this time cremated?

[Minimalist]

Our witness, Pliny the Younger only says they recovered his body - not what became of it.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm

Then the flames and smell of sulphur which gave warning of the approaching fire drove the others to take flight and roused him to stand up. He stood leaning on two slaves and then suddenly collapsed, I imagine because the dense, fumes choked his breathing by blocking his windpipe which was constitutionally weak and narrow and often inflamed. When daylight returned on the 26th - two days after the last day he had been seen - his body was found intact and uninjured, still fully clothed and looking more like sleep than death.

Cremation was most common in the first century but burial was not unknown. Given the circumstances of the time and place perhaps they took the easy way out? Who knows?

[Simon21]

Given admiral Piiny's status, I think he would have been cremated according to the traditional rites.

[Minimalist]

Catastrophes have a way of changing things. Besides, can you imagine what he smelled like two days later in that heat?

[Simon21]

No worse than a slave who been crucified for a week

[Minimalist]

Reminds me of the line in Holy Grail where Arthur goes "riding" by and one peasant says to the other.


" 'e must be a king or something."

"Why?" asks the second.

" 'e ain't got shit all over 'im."

[Simon21]

Mary Beard claims your average Roman would have had halitosis that could blister paint.

So the sense of smell in ancient times was probably dulled.

Interestingly she also points out that according to the archaeology (large numbers of extracted teeth, some showing evidence of blood) the temple of the Gemini stood over a dentists.