In 79AD, Vesuvius erupted, destroying the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The pyroclastic blast from the eruption incinerated the inhabitants of Herculaneum. In Pompeii, although the 2000 inhabitants who did not escape the city were killed, the eruption preserved as well as destroyed.
Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since excavations of the city began. They tell us a great deal about the city’s and it's inhabitants last moments.
The Effects of the Eruption of Vesuvius
The eruption of Vesuvius did not occur quickly. Beginning at 1pm on the 24th august 79AD, it did not reach its concluding stages until the following morning. For those in Pompeii who had not managed to escape, the end came at about 7.30am on the 25th August.
A massive pyroclastic surge headed towards the town at 100kph, carrying lethal gases and hot ash from the eruption column. Death for the inhabitants was slow and painful. They would have inhaled the hot gas and ash that would have caused their lungs to flood with fluid. Subsequent breaths would have mixed more ash in the lungs that would have caused a kind of cement which led to suffocation.
Following the surge, first pumice and then ash fell on the city out of which only the tallest buildings and gates were visible. Rain fell, turning the ash into a mud which encased the bodies.
The Victims of Vesuvius
Although the flesh decayed the skeletons of the victims remained trapped within the preserving layer of volcanic debris. This sarcophagus of ash also maintained an imprint of each body as it was at the time of death.
In 1777, the remains of a young woman were found at the Villa Diomede. As well as her skeleton, the outline of her breasts and body shape was clearly visible in the material packed beneath her. Many further examples were discovered. It was not until 1864 that a technique was found to recapture the appearances of the dead.
Giuseppe Fiorelli, the director of excavations realised that if the ash cases containing skeletons were kept intact, it would be possible to pour plaster into the hollow, which would then set about the skeleton to reveal an exact cast of the body at the moment of death. The technique was successful and has been used ever since .It has been recently updated with excavators using transparent glass fibre in place of the plaster which allows the skeleton to remain visible, along with any jewellery or clothing that survived in situ.
What the Bodies Tell Us
The casts reveal and incredible amount of detail about the lives of the people. Not only are the overall shapes of the bodies visible but in some cases facial features, hairstyles, even clothing and belts. The details of their deaths are also preserved in their contorted facial features and limbs.
The bodies give a snapshot of the last moments of the life of Pompeii. Examples of those found include:
· A beggar at the Nucerian gate with his sack of alms and a pair of decent sandal recently donated to him.
· The doorkeeper of the House of Menander who was found in his cubicle at the entrance, hidden under pillows with a small child and his master’s seal and purse.
· Priests from the temple of Isis found in the triangular forum who were killed by collapsing columns, the sacred emblems of the temple they were carrying away scattered about them.
· Two manacled men abandoned in a cell in the gladiator’s barracks.
· The body of a woman wearing costly jewellery found in a gladiator’s cell.
· Bodies on the roads leading out of Pompeii wearing heavy outdoor clothing, put on to protect them as they tried to flee the city.
· A dog in the House of Vesonius Primus who unable to escape the atrium climbed as high up the debris as his chain would allow before dying.
Sources
Pompeii: The Last Day by Paul Wilkinson. 2003. BBC Books
Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice (1994) Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn.Thames ad Hudson.
Pompeii & Herculaneum: Cities of Vesuvius by Michael Grant. 2005. The Folio Society.
Natasha Sheldon - A writer since 2000, Natasha Sheldon holds a BA Hons in ancient history and archaeology and MA in ancient history and historiography.
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