Bodies from Pompeii and Herculaneum
Analysis
Bodies have been found throughout the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, these are the victims of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. The Garden of the Fugitives is one of the places where the most amount of victims that have been found, a total of thirteen bodies, which have been determined to be of three families, one merchant and two farm families[1]. Along with casts of people, plaster casts have also taken the form of animals, including a dog. The body casts are in the position that the victims of the eruption died in. Instead of the plaster casts that have created at the excavation site of Pompeii, skeletons have been found at Herculaneum. Many of the skeletal remains found at Herculaneum were discovered in boathouses by the coast of the Bay of Naples.
Developed Conclusions
When the excavators, under the direction of Guiseppe Fiorelli poured plaster into the hollowed cavities found in the site of Pompeii, they discovered that the plaster casts formed the shape of the bodies of the victims who perished in the eruption[2]. These body casts are unique to the understanding of life during Ancient Rome because they have been preserved and protected over the 1700 years they were buried under the ash from Mt. Vesuvius, this is also significant due to the fact that the victims that have been found have been preserved in the moment of death; this has not been found anywhere else. The cast of the dog found also gives insight into the lives of the people of Pompeii. Also, some of the body casts that have been created from the cavaties have shown an outline of the clothes that the citizens of Pompeii were wearing at the time of the eruption, this gives insight into the type of class and social status that these victims had in Roman society. The outline of the studded collar on the dog, and the fact that it was found outside the House of Orpheus tied to a post, indicates that it was a guard dog, the awkward angle that it has been found in during its moment of death has proven that the dog died of strangulation from trying to escape the falling ash and pumice from the eruption[3]. These casts are extremely important in the understanding of how the people of Pompeii perished during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, however apparently the plaster that has been used to fill the cavaties is damaging to the delicate skeletons that remain in the casts, therefore they have stopped creating plaster casts[4]. The Garden of Fugitives is also significant to understanding the last moments of victims of the Vesuvius eruption, their positions that they have been found in have determined that they were struggling to escape to safety when they died, “When the band [of thirteen fugitives] decided to flee, first [in this family group] came a servant, carrying over his shoulder a bag hastily filled with provisions. We found him where he fell, near the wall of a vegetable garden… Next, hand in hand, came the farmer's two little boys of about four and five... Finally came the children's parents, the farmer supporting his trembling wife. Behind the farmer's family came a young farm couple with their daughter… In the case of the daughter, the stream of plaster failed us. We have only the vague outline of what seems to be a slender, undernourished child. Last came the merchant's family - two young boys in their teens, followed by their mother and a younger sister… The final figure in that pageant of death was the merchant, to me the most tragic of the group. He was not lying down but still sitting upright with his right arm pressed against a mound of earth and his back bent in a supreme effort to rise…”[5]. These conclusions developed from the victims from the Garden of Fugitives also have given information on the state of health that the victims lived in.
In Herculaneum, it was originally thought that all the citizens had managed to escape the disaster of the eruption until the discovery of skeletal remains in the boathouses of Herculaneum in the 1980s. It has been concluded that these victims were waiting for a ship to come to rescue them, or they were waiting for the disaster to finish. The red stains found on the inside of the skulls of these victims have proven that they died from the thermal shock of the pyroclastic flows that also burned away their flesh[6]. These remains that have been found are significant to the understandings of Ancient Roman life because scientists have been able to use DNA collected from the skeletons to determine the health of the people of Herculaneum. Scientists have discovered that the people of Herculaneum had trouble reproducing to maintain their population; they have also discovered that while the majority of the population had good dental health, 27% of the dental remains had some form of hypo-plastic lines in their enamel, which indicates to a frequency of childhood illnesses. Scientific investigation has also proven that the people of Herculaneum were dependent on a diet a sea fish rather than red meat, which is understandable due to the town’s close proximity to the ocean[7]. It has also been discovered through the belongings left on the skeletal remains the social class and wealth of the people of Herculaneum. An example of this is the Ring Lady found on the beach of Herculaneum, along with her remains she was found with an emerald and ruby ring on her left hand as well as a purse that contained two gold bracelets as well as two gold earrings that were believed to have held pearls[8]. This indicates that this lady was wealthy, as she was probably taking her most prized possessions with her for safe keeping during the disaster. It has been discovered, through scientific research, that the majority of the population of Herculaneum lived active lives, however these discoveries are only mainly relevant to the adults of Herculaneum as the studies of the child skeletons have been limited[9]. These findings are crucial to the understanding of how the people of Herculaneum lived and their health.
[1] http://www.mummytombs.com/pompeii/cast.garden.htm
[2] Secrets of Vesuvius
[3]http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/discoverycentre/pompeii/objects/guard-dog/
[4] http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/plaster-citizens-of-pompeii
[5] Amedeo Maiuri – Superintendent of Pompeii 1961
[6] http://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/bones-abroad-pompeii/
[7] http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02447284#page-1
[8] http://bellcurveoflife.blogspot.co.nz/2009/02/herculaneum-fleeing-eruption.html
[9] Herculaneum, Italy’s Buried Treasure – Joseph Jay Deiss
Bodies have been found throughout the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, these are the victims of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. The Garden of the Fugitives is one of the places where the most amount of victims that have been found, a total of thirteen bodies, which have been determined to be of three families, one merchant and two farm families[1]. Along with casts of people, plaster casts have also taken the form of animals, including a dog. The body casts are in the position that the victims of the eruption died in. Instead of the plaster casts that have created at the excavation site of Pompeii, skeletons have been found at Herculaneum. Many of the skeletal remains found at Herculaneum were discovered in boathouses by the coast of the Bay of Naples.
Developed Conclusions
When the excavators, under the direction of Guiseppe Fiorelli poured plaster into the hollowed cavities found in the site of Pompeii, they discovered that the plaster casts formed the shape of the bodies of the victims who perished in the eruption[2]. These body casts are unique to the understanding of life during Ancient Rome because they have been preserved and protected over the 1700 years they were buried under the ash from Mt. Vesuvius, this is also significant due to the fact that the victims that have been found have been preserved in the moment of death; this has not been found anywhere else. The cast of the dog found also gives insight into the lives of the people of Pompeii. Also, some of the body casts that have been created from the cavaties have shown an outline of the clothes that the citizens of Pompeii were wearing at the time of the eruption, this gives insight into the type of class and social status that these victims had in Roman society. The outline of the studded collar on the dog, and the fact that it was found outside the House of Orpheus tied to a post, indicates that it was a guard dog, the awkward angle that it has been found in during its moment of death has proven that the dog died of strangulation from trying to escape the falling ash and pumice from the eruption[3]. These casts are extremely important in the understanding of how the people of Pompeii perished during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, however apparently the plaster that has been used to fill the cavaties is damaging to the delicate skeletons that remain in the casts, therefore they have stopped creating plaster casts[4]. The Garden of Fugitives is also significant to understanding the last moments of victims of the Vesuvius eruption, their positions that they have been found in have determined that they were struggling to escape to safety when they died, “When the band [of thirteen fugitives] decided to flee, first [in this family group] came a servant, carrying over his shoulder a bag hastily filled with provisions. We found him where he fell, near the wall of a vegetable garden… Next, hand in hand, came the farmer's two little boys of about four and five... Finally came the children's parents, the farmer supporting his trembling wife. Behind the farmer's family came a young farm couple with their daughter… In the case of the daughter, the stream of plaster failed us. We have only the vague outline of what seems to be a slender, undernourished child. Last came the merchant's family - two young boys in their teens, followed by their mother and a younger sister… The final figure in that pageant of death was the merchant, to me the most tragic of the group. He was not lying down but still sitting upright with his right arm pressed against a mound of earth and his back bent in a supreme effort to rise…”[5]. These conclusions developed from the victims from the Garden of Fugitives also have given information on the state of health that the victims lived in.
In Herculaneum, it was originally thought that all the citizens had managed to escape the disaster of the eruption until the discovery of skeletal remains in the boathouses of Herculaneum in the 1980s. It has been concluded that these victims were waiting for a ship to come to rescue them, or they were waiting for the disaster to finish. The red stains found on the inside of the skulls of these victims have proven that they died from the thermal shock of the pyroclastic flows that also burned away their flesh[6]. These remains that have been found are significant to the understandings of Ancient Roman life because scientists have been able to use DNA collected from the skeletons to determine the health of the people of Herculaneum. Scientists have discovered that the people of Herculaneum had trouble reproducing to maintain their population; they have also discovered that while the majority of the population had good dental health, 27% of the dental remains had some form of hypo-plastic lines in their enamel, which indicates to a frequency of childhood illnesses. Scientific investigation has also proven that the people of Herculaneum were dependent on a diet a sea fish rather than red meat, which is understandable due to the town’s close proximity to the ocean[7]. It has also been discovered through the belongings left on the skeletal remains the social class and wealth of the people of Herculaneum. An example of this is the Ring Lady found on the beach of Herculaneum, along with her remains she was found with an emerald and ruby ring on her left hand as well as a purse that contained two gold bracelets as well as two gold earrings that were believed to have held pearls[8]. This indicates that this lady was wealthy, as she was probably taking her most prized possessions with her for safe keeping during the disaster. It has been discovered, through scientific research, that the majority of the population of Herculaneum lived active lives, however these discoveries are only mainly relevant to the adults of Herculaneum as the studies of the child skeletons have been limited[9]. These findings are crucial to the understanding of how the people of Herculaneum lived and their health.
[1] http://www.mummytombs.com/pompeii/cast.garden.htm
[2] Secrets of Vesuvius
[3]http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/discoverycentre/pompeii/objects/guard-dog/
[4] http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/plaster-citizens-of-pompeii
[5] Amedeo Maiuri – Superintendent of Pompeii 1961
[6] http://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/bones-abroad-pompeii/
[7] http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02447284#page-1
[8] http://bellcurveoflife.blogspot.co.nz/2009/02/herculaneum-fleeing-eruption.html
[9] Herculaneum, Italy’s Buried Treasure – Joseph Jay Deiss