Ever since archaeologists first discovered the ruins of Pompeii – the ancient Roman city devastated by Mount Vesuvius in Italy – we've retained a fascination for the stories and secrets held within the site. From the foods Pompeii's citizens ate and the gods they worshipped, to the ways they responded to the disaster, there are some surprising secrets still being unravelled. Here we reveal some more recent discoveries, including the four furnished rooms announced in August 2022.

In 79 AD, one of the deadliest volcanic events in European history occurred when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were shrouded in volcanic material for nearly 1,700 years, until the sites began to be excavated in the 18th century. Work began on Herculaneum in 1738 and at Pompeii in 1748.

Since the initial excavation work, archaeologists and scientists have made some major breakthroughs at Pompeii, especially given the advancements in technology. In recent years, experts have been able to create casts of bodies by injecting plaster into the spaces and cavities that surround the skeletons discovered here. These representations can tell us huge amounts, not only about how Pompeii's citizens died, but also about how they lived before the eruption.

Only half of the people living in Pompeii at that time could expect to make it past the age of 10. But analysis of skeletons belonging to middle-aged and older residents has suggested that, if citizens did surpass this young age, they were likely to lead long and healthy lives. This may have been due to the variety of nutritious foods they ate, details of which were discovered less than a decade ago.

Evidence about the diet of the ancient citizens here was uncovered from a Herculaneum sewer in 2011. The 282-foot-long tunnel contained what was thought to be the largest quantity of human excrement ever discovered in the Roman world, filling a staggering 750 sacks. Yikes.

Archaeologists are studying the excrement, as well as inedible remains such as fish bones, pig bones and egg shells, which people often chucked down latrine holes. The ancient residents' trash has become our treasure, as experts have been able to glean vital insights into the daily lives of Pompeii and Herculaneum’s citizens from this research. Analysis has revealed that their diet was rich in local seafood, pork, eggs, seeds and an abundance of vegetables.

While today’s activists might take to social media, the politically engaged people of Pompeii expressed their support for various candidates through writing on the walls. Archaeologists recently discovered ancient graffiti bearing political slogans, dating back to the period before Vesuvius’ eruption.

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One such statement reads: “I beg you to choose Elvio Sabino, worthy of State, a good man”. The findings were made in Regio V, a largely unexplored area of Pompeii. Not only do they give us a glimpse into the political lives of ancient Romans, they also help us to understand the painting techniques used by the city’s artists.

The pre-election graffiti wasn’t without bias, though. It is thought that these writings were often commissioned by local politicians, in a bid to increase their support – or, they would pay for slogans criticising the opposition.

Recent evidence shows that some members of the population may have suffered with the bacterial disease syphilis. Analysis of skeletons found in the 1980s included a pair of twins who showed signs of congenital syphilis. The disease was evidenced by marks left on the enamel of their teeth.

The discovery flipped previous assumptions about the disease on their head. Until recently, it had been widely assumed that syphilis came to Europe with Christopher Columbus, after he returned from his New World voyage in the 15th century. These findings suggest it was prevalent much earlier.

It’s not just the existence of the condition itself that is telling. Anthropologists argue that the fact these twins survived as long as they did is a testament to Roman families’ strong bonds: the pair would have needed constant nursing and attention to stay alive.

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When this man fell to his painful death back in AD 79, little did he know that he’d find fame almost two millennia later. Photos of the ill-fated man's remains captured the world's attention when they were first revealed – though details about his gruesome death are still being uncovered.

He’s been called “the unluckiest man in history” after it was initially established that he died when crushed by a giant rock hurled out by the erupting Mount Vesuvius. Experts believed the man suffered from a leg infection which hindered his ability to walk – he therefore couldn’t escape in time when this huge piece of rock came crashing down on him.

But after further analysis, scientists are reconsidering their original conclusions. After they removed the giant rock, they found the man’s skull to be intact, which means he most likely died due to suffocation. The collision of the rock may have happened after.

For many years, Vesuvius was thought to have erupted on 24 August in AD 79 – that’s because of letters written by Pliny the Younger. These letters have been a key source of information about the eruption.

But a recently discovered inscription suggests otherwise. Charcoal writing found at the site bears the Latin XVI K NOV, meaning “the 16th day before the 1st November” – in other words, 17 October. It is now thought that the volcano erupted on 24 October. (This image shows part of Pliny the Younger's original document.)

Given that it was written in charcoal, which does not last a long time, experts have good reason to believe it the new date was inscribed in the year AD 79 and has been preserved under volcanic deposits ever since. Italian authorities have said that these findings “rewrite history”.

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It’s hard to imagine what you might do if a natural catastrophe were to strike – especially if it meant being faced with a giant, fast-erupting nearby volcano. Yet despite what you’d think, for many people in Pompeii and Herculaneum, the instinct wasn’t to run away.

Rather, the location and formation of some recovered skeletons reveal that most victims’ reaction was to stay with their families and remain at home when the volcano erupted. This sheds an interesting light on human responses to panic.

The fact that victims were closely grouped also reveals key information about Roman family structure. For example, in one room of 13 people, at least six were found to be closely biologically related. Other, larger groups discovered suggest that families often lived in extended and multi-generational networks.

In a recent excavation, archaeologists have uncovered an impressive shrine in a villa, filled with paintings of plants, snakes and a peacock. Commonly known as a lararium, shrines like this were a typical feature of many Roman houses, and were a place where offerings and prayers were made to the gods.

While it was common for people to have shrines in their homes, few were quite as grand as this one. Located in its own chamber, with multiple elaborate decorations and a raised pool, the discovery indicates that the residents of this home were very wealthy.

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Areas which had never previously been dug up are now yielding fresh treasures, as the Great Pompeii Project has focused resources on these sites. Since earlier archaeologists were less advanced in their methods, not documenting their findings before restoring them, this complete and well-preserved shrine is an important discovery.

Just when we thought we'd learned all there is to know about day-to-day life in this ancient city, archaeologists have uncovered four new rooms of a house. Offering an insight into the domesticity of Roman citizens before the eruption, the artefacts found include a bedframe, three-legged table and ceramic plates in a bedroom (pictured), a storage room with a wooden cabinet, plus two upstairs rooms with an incense burner and bronze pieces. Previously excavated in 2018, the discarded objects in the northern area of Regio V capture the owners' final moments.

If you thought that the death of a man by a 660-Ib flying stone sounded bad, others weren’t much better off. According to new research, victims in Herculaneum met their deaths in gruesome ways, with the extreme heat causing their heads to explode and their blood to boil.

The study, published in the scientific journal PLoS One, reported that analysis of skeletons preserved in molten rock suggested “the rapid vaporization of body fluids and soft tissues of people at death due to exposure to extreme heat." In other words, their blood boiled, and their muscles, brains and flesh turned to ash. To top it all off, there’s also evidence that their skull caps exploded outward.

Although gory, the deaths of these victims were likely pretty quick. Being closer to the volcano than Pompeiians, the people of Herculaneum were subject to hotter temperatures of up to 482°C (900°F), turning them to ash in an instant.

The ancient remains of a horse have been found at Pompeii, signalling an extremely important discovery. With its bones remarkably intact and remnants of a saddle attached, the horse was found in a villa belonging to a Roman general or a high-ranking member of the military.

Using the technique of injecting plaster into the cavities left by decomposed bodies, in 2018 archaeologists announced they have created a cast that offers key information about the horse. Experts say it was particularly large for its time – suggesting the horse was a special breed that would have been worth a hefty sum.

Along with a dog and a pig, this is one of the few animals to have been successfully cast at Pompeii. Plus, the site has been subject to several illegal diggings and lootings during the past few decades, making it even more remarkable that such a well-preserved skeleton has remained intact.

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