Pompeii
Photo Credits:
LOBELL, J. A. (n.d.). Casts of Pompeii. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://www.archaeology.org/slideshow/3928-casts-of-pompeii-slideshow
Lorenzi, R. (2015, October 08). Pompeii Victims' Bodies Revealed in Scans: Photos. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://www.seeker.com/pompeii-victims-bodies-revealed-in-scans-photos-1770334701.html
Obscura, A. (2015, March 12). Plaster Casts of Pompeii Victims' Bodies Provide a Chilling Look at Their Last Moments. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2015/03/12/plaster_casts_of_victims_bodies_at_pompeii_in_italy.html
Sheldon, N. (2017, November 05). Human Remains in Pompeii: The Unique Case of the Body Casts. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/2017/11/05/human-remains-in-pompeii-the-unique-case-of-the-body-casts/
LOBELL, J. A. (n.d.). Casts of Pompeii. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://www.archaeology.org/slideshow/3928-casts-of-pompeii-slideshow
Lorenzi, R. (2015, October 08). Pompeii Victims' Bodies Revealed in Scans: Photos. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://www.seeker.com/pompeii-victims-bodies-revealed-in-scans-photos-1770334701.html
Obscura, A. (2015, March 12). Plaster Casts of Pompeii Victims' Bodies Provide a Chilling Look at Their Last Moments. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2015/03/12/plaster_casts_of_victims_bodies_at_pompeii_in_italy.html
Sheldon, N. (2017, November 05). Human Remains in Pompeii: The Unique Case of the Body Casts. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/2017/11/05/human-remains-in-pompeii-the-unique-case-of-the-body-casts/
A Resin Cast
Excerpt from: https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/2017/11/05/human-remains-in-pompeii-the-unique-case-of-the-body-casts/
"Archaeologists have looked at other ways of recreating the appearance of Pompeii’s dead. In 1984 at Oplontis, a skeleton was cast using resin rather than plaster. Wax was injected into the void around the victim’s skeleton, left to harden, and then coated in plaster. Once the ‘plaster cast’ had set, the wax was melted out and replaced with liquid epoxy resin- to produce a durable, transparent cast, which allowed the victim’s jewellery and hairpin to be viewed in situ on the body.
But this cast remains unique – for despite its many advantages, resin casting is tricky and expensive. For now, plaster casting continues to be used where appropriate.
“The technique remains the best to obtain perfect replicas of the victim’s bodies.” explained anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone in an interview with the author.
In a 2010 interview with the BBC, Stefania Giudice, a conservator from Naples national archaeological Museum described how modern preservers cast new finds. The process is by no means simple. Plaster has to be mixed to an exact consistency; thick enough to support the skeletal frame but not so thick it obliterates the fine details of the cast. It then needs to be carefully poured.
‘The bones are very brittle,’ explained Giudice, ‘so when we pour in the plaster we have to be very careful; otherwise we might damage the remains, and they would be lost to us forever.’
As a bonus, the visual information from the external features of the casts can now be supplemented by other means. “nowadays we can better adopt X-ray techniques like 3D-CT scan to investigate the human content of plaster casts.” said Pier Paolo Petrone."
Works Cited:
Sheldon, N. (2017, November 05). Human Remains in Pompeii: The Unique Case of the Body Casts. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/2017/11/05/human-remains-in-pompeii-the-unique-case-of-the-body-casts/
"Archaeologists have looked at other ways of recreating the appearance of Pompeii’s dead. In 1984 at Oplontis, a skeleton was cast using resin rather than plaster. Wax was injected into the void around the victim’s skeleton, left to harden, and then coated in plaster. Once the ‘plaster cast’ had set, the wax was melted out and replaced with liquid epoxy resin- to produce a durable, transparent cast, which allowed the victim’s jewellery and hairpin to be viewed in situ on the body.
But this cast remains unique – for despite its many advantages, resin casting is tricky and expensive. For now, plaster casting continues to be used where appropriate.
“The technique remains the best to obtain perfect replicas of the victim’s bodies.” explained anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone in an interview with the author.
In a 2010 interview with the BBC, Stefania Giudice, a conservator from Naples national archaeological Museum described how modern preservers cast new finds. The process is by no means simple. Plaster has to be mixed to an exact consistency; thick enough to support the skeletal frame but not so thick it obliterates the fine details of the cast. It then needs to be carefully poured.
‘The bones are very brittle,’ explained Giudice, ‘so when we pour in the plaster we have to be very careful; otherwise we might damage the remains, and they would be lost to us forever.’
As a bonus, the visual information from the external features of the casts can now be supplemented by other means. “nowadays we can better adopt X-ray techniques like 3D-CT scan to investigate the human content of plaster casts.” said Pier Paolo Petrone."
Works Cited:
Sheldon, N. (2017, November 05). Human Remains in Pompeii: The Unique Case of the Body Casts. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/2017/11/05/human-remains-in-pompeii-the-unique-case-of-the-body-casts/
Pompeii - Want to learn more? Click Here
Pompeii's Casts
The city's excavation began around 1748, but it wasn't until 1863 that Italian archeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli discovered that the voids in the ash were made by the victims of the eruption. He then decided to fill the voids with liquid plaster which resulted in the famous death casts.
Learn more about the casts. Click Here
Photo Credit: Obscura, A. (2015, March 12). Plaster Casts of Pompeii Victims' Bodies Provide a Chilling Look at Their Last Moments. Retrieved May 2, 2018, from http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2015/03/12/plaster_casts_of_victims_bodies_at_pompeii_in_italy.html
Pompeii - Did you know?
- Parts of the city were buried in more than 20 feet of ash.
- The often seen three larger rocks in the cities streets were placed there to prevent any chariot or wagon traffic, those areas were intended for only those on foot. It is believed the forum was strictly a pedestrian zone.
- When looking at the streets you will also notice elevated curbs and paths, this is because water and sewage often flowed through the streets. Those iconic three blocks, smaller than those in the forum area, served as stepping stones to keep their feet above the water and sewage. And if you are wondering why there are spaces between them, well those spaces allowed wheeled carts to pass through.
- The city had at least 3 public bathes. These bathes all contained 3 heated pools which successively grew warmer. It began with the frigidarium, which was the cold bath, this was followed by the warm bath room or tepidarium, the final bath room was the hot bath room which was called the calidarium. These bathes were heats by hot air piped through the walls from the furnaces below. Much like our recreational centers today, these baths had changing rooms, areas for fitness, bathrooms, and private men and women areas.
- One build remains with a mosaic of "HAVE" near the door, this translates to "welcome." Perhaps one of the earliest welcome mats.
- At the excavation of the Bakery of Modestus archeologist found 81 risen loaves of bread still in the oven. These loaves were carbonized when Vesuvius erupted.
- The amphitheater in Pompeii is the oldest amphitheater in Rome, it could hold 20,000 people.
- When Mount Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was not the only town encapsulated in the destruction, Herculaneum was another city ravaged by the eruption. However, Herculaneum is unique from Pompeii in that it was covered in a mud like substance rather than ash and pumice. This mud has proven to be much more difficult to excavate, but worth the effort because it has preserved wooded furniture and roman stair cases.