Pompeii is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, with its series of ancient bodies being one of the most recognisable artefacts remaining.
Presented to the public in clear glass cabinets, these bodies can be found in a series of poses, with some curled up tightly, whereas others look as if they are crawling. But are they actually real?
About the Pompeii Eruption
Back in the day, Pompeii was a thriving city within the Roman Empire, known as a popular holiday spot for rich Romans. However, in 79 A.D. the nearby volcano of Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the region and burying Pompeii in a thick layer of volcanic dust and debris. This encased the artefacts of the city, including the buildings, artwork, and bodies of the Pompeii people under the ground, preserving them for decades longer than normal.
The Moulds of the Pompeii Bodies
Once historians rediscovered Pompeii, evacuations of the artefacts began. When digging into the city, the archaeologist found that, although the physical bodies of the people decayed over time, the compressed ash remained to create a mould of the skeleton. To preserve them, they began encasing these moulds in plaster casts, creating a 4D structure of this ancient skeleton. Letting visitors see the last moments on these people as they crawl, lie, or clutch tightly onto their loved ones. Although they are a truly extraordinary sight to see, the method of creating Pompeii plaster casts was eventually terminated. As the new casts caused ongoing damages to the fragile remains of the corpses. These days, historians instead use CT scanning to discover the bodies’ past lives, even able to detect the clothing they wore and certain features which can help us discovered more about this ancient civilisation.
Where you can see the Bodies of Pompeii
Pompeii is home to a number of these famous body casts, with the second-best place to see these fantastic casts is in Naples. Pompeii’s information rooms have the bodies behind glass cabinets, with the guides detailing everything we know about each citizens life back then. A number of the casts were also moved to Naples’ National Archaeological Museum.
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