Buried alive | Like the victims of Vesuvius saw the light again

vood.one (32)in #history • 7 years ago

In the first half of the 19th century in the infamous city of Pompeii and other victims of the eruption of Vesuvius cities began excavations. Wanting to restore the appearance of ancient settlements and get information about activities and way of life of locals, archaeologists from day to day, explored every meter of frozen two thousand ago volcanic ash.

The longer excavations, the more archaeologists began to come across the void, inside of which were often discovered human bones - the remains of victims of the merciless volcano. But whence came the void? It's simple: they appeared where once was the body of the deceased, which they found bones framed. Ash froze, covered body has decayed. It turns out empty space, repeats the shape of the human body.

Of course, historians and archaeologists immediately began to think about how these "mummies" save. The solution found in 1863, archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli. Stumbled on another cavity with the bones, he ordered a stop to to dig up and put liquid plaster. When plaster has stiffened, was a sculpture of a man mimic his posture for a few seconds before death. Later, these "statues" were taken from the ground outside. The decision is brilliant.

In this post I would like to share a few photos of these plaster statues. By understanding that this is not just any sculpture, but the people who died a painful death nearly 2 thousand years ago (!!!) goosebumps. 2017, it's been 20 centuries, and here they are in front of our eyes.

A resident of Pompey, curled up in front of impending danger

Another resident of Pompeii

A mother and child. Apparently, death took them directly during the game

I must say that thanks to the brilliant idea of Giuseppe Fiorelli, it was possible to lift out the remains of not only humans but also animals. One of these discoveries was, for example, found in Pompeii dog.

As I said, the first plaster mummies of the inhabitants of the dead cities began to be constructed in the mid 19th century. 150 years have passed, and the mummies of ancient times began to crumble. This process is absolutely natural and predictable, so the archaeological site constantly employs dozens of restorers who re-hipshot skeletons and close up the cracks.

Child's age almost 2000 years, in the hands of one of the archaeologists. How is it strange and unusual...

Well, perhaps the last photo. For a very long time archaeologists believed that this two girls. But more recent studies have shown that this is men. One of them is 18 years and the second not less than twenty.