Preserved for centuries: Tortoise and her egg found in new Pompeii excavations

The remains of a pregnant tortoise that sought shelter in the wreckage of a house devastated by an earthquake in AD62 have been found by archaeologists in Pompeii. However, when Mount Vesuvius erupted, the tortoise was smothered by volcanic ash and debris.

The 14cm (5.5in) long Hermann's tortoise and her egg were found during excavations of a section of the historic city that was being reconstructed for the installation of public baths after being levelled by the earthquake, officials said on Friday. After the volcanic explosion in AD79, Pompeii was subsequently devastated.

The tortoise, which belongs to a species that is prevalent in southern Europe, is thought by archaeologists to have taken refuge under the ruins of a house that was too badly damaged by the earthquake to be rebuilt.

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The fact that the animal still held her egg showed that she perished before locating a secure, welcoming location to lay it, according to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Pompeii archaeological park.

Along with the Pompeii archaeological site, the Free University of Berlin, L'Orientale of the University of Naples, and Oxford University are doing excavations in the Stabiane baths part of Pompeii.

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