The discovery of Pompeii rewrites the history of the eruption of Vesuvius

A scribbled text on a wall in Pompeii is rewriting the story of the famous ancient eruption of Vesuvius.

The Roman city of Pompeii was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Pompeii was quickly buried by volcanic ash, killing about 2,000 of its inhabitants, according to History.com.

However, the newly discovered charcoal inscription suggests that the eruption occurred in October 1997 at 79 AD, two months later than expected.

MONT VESUVIUS CAUSED HEADS OF VICTIMS TO EXPLODE, FROM BLOOD TO BOILING: STUDY

In a Facebook message, officials of the famous archeological site explained that the text was found on the wall of a room in the Regio V district of Pompeii. According to archaeologists, the house was being renovated at the time of the eruption.

The inscription refers to the "sixteenth day preceding the calendars of November", the equivalent date of October 17th. This confirms the idea that the eruption occurred a week later on October 24, according to officials, rather than August 24. as we had thought before.

Contemporary writing, such as the testimony of Pliny the Younger (whose uncle, Pliny the Elder died during the disaster), had led historians to believe that the eruption was It was produced on August 24th. the destruction of the city and the original text did not survive. The account of Pliny has itself been translated and transcribed several times, with many dates cited. This, combined with the differences between old and modern counting systems, could have caused confusion as to the actual date of the Vesuvius eruption, according to the BBC.

DRAGATIC DEATH OF VOLCANO: A POMPEI PENSION DISCOVERED BY AN ENORMOUS FLYING STONE AND ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVER

Citing the Italian media, Sky News reports that crops of food and autumn fruits have also been discovered in the ruins of Pompeii.

The site of the ancient city remained intact for more than 1500 years until its rediscovery in the 18th century. In the nineteenth century, archaeologists used plaster to take castings in vacuum cleaners surrounding skeletons found in the compacted layer of ash. Left behind by the decomposition of organic remains, the vacuum cleaners offer a disturbing snapshot of the last moments of the victims. National Geographic notes that the realistic poses of plaster casts show some victims, for example, crawling or sitting, their heads in their hands.

The charcoal inscription is only the last fascinating discovery in Pompeii. Earlier this year, images of a man's skeleton, apparently crushed by a rock during the ancient eruption of Vesuvius, became viral after their discovery.

EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY OF THE PUMP: RACEHORSE REMAINS FOUNDED BETWEEN THE RUINS OF THE OLD TOWN

Archaeologists have also recently discovered the resting place of an ancient racehorse among the ruins of Pompeii.

A new study reveals that when Mount Vesuvius broke out, the intense heat caused the skull to explode and the blood to boil.

Chris Ciaccia of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this article.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers