Incense ash reveals Pompeii was part of global trade network

Ash residues from incense burners show that Pompeii was part of a global trade network, researchers report.

In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Roman Pompeii and many other towns and villas in the vicinity. The catastrophe for the people of the time is a boon for today’s archaeology thanks to the unique preservation conditions.

“Without Pompeii, our knowledge of the Roman world would ...