Remains of a horse still wearing a harness discovered at Pompeii

The horse was still wearing a harness (PA)
The horse was still wearing a harness (PA)

The remains of a horse still wearing a harness have been discovered near Pompeii.

Archaeologists have said the find, at a villa near Pompei’s walls, is of ‘rare importance’.

The horse was saddled up and ready for somebody to ride, possibly to help rescue locals trying to flee the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried the town in ashes.

The saddled horse was discovered with the remains of other horses at the Villa of the Mysteries.

The villa belonged to a Roman general or high-ranking military magistrate.

Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii and other nearby towns under millions of tonnes of volcanic debris.

The horse was saddled up and ready to ride (PA)
The horse was saddled up and ready to ride (PA)

Archaeologists at the luxurious Villa dei Misteri have previously found ovens and wine presses during excavations.

The new find was unearthed in a search of the stable at the villa to the north of the vast archaeological site, according to Massimo Osanna.

The horse’s remains suggest it had been well cared for. It was found with a saddle and harness, which had fragments of wooden and bronze trimmings. It was near two other horses.

The horses will have been suffocated in the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius (PA)
The horses will have been suffocated in the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius (PA)

According to Osanna, the director of Pompeii’s archaeological park, the horses had come to a “fierce and terrible end”.

The animals were suffocated by ashes, fumes or by the wretched vapours from Vesuvius.

The villa and surrounding areas were initially explored in the early 20th Century, though some of the land was reburied and raided by looters.

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