Nola-Croce del Papa was an early

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

village discovered in May 2001 in the

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

region near

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wor ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The excavation was directed by French archaeologist Claude Albore Livadie, who described the settlement as the "first Pompeii".

Discovery

Archaeologists found the lost settlement after discovering the bodies of two people that been caught by

pyroclastic flow A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of b ...

as they were fleeing the eruption of

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...

. The eruption, which took place in the 2nd millennium BCE, covered the village in

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

. The remains of livestock such as goats were found,
/ref> and various fossils were also found as mud had flowed into the structures and preserved various foodstuffs and plants.

Findings

Of the entire settlement only three structures remained intact after the eruption. No human remains have been found in the settlement, leading archaeologists to believe its populace escaped, although not all made it to safety. The lack of personal belongings in the settlement also lead to the belief that the people were given enough time to gather their most precious belongings before leaving.

References

{{coord missing, Italy Bronze Age sites in Europe Prehistoric sites in Italy Former populated places in Italy

Discovery

Findings

See also

References