Body casts of Pompeii
Analysis
The casts of the people found in Pompeii are made using the cavities left by the bodies and filling them with plaster. They provide information on the victims of the volcanic eruption. Above is a group of 13 body casts known as the Garden of Fugitives. This is because they are believed to have been trying to escape the eruption, but were caught in the fourth surge[1]. Most of the bodies found in Pompeii were found in their homes or in places where they would generally be on any given day this is because they didn't expect the eruption to reach them as they were further away from Mt Vesuvius they didn't try to escape like the people of Herculaneum did. Because the people of Pompeii didn't evacuate as early on as the people of Herculaneum did, it resulted in many more bodies being found at Pompeii compared to Herculaneum. The lives and bodies of the people of Pompeii were able to be captured in plaster casts because of the distance between the city and volcano, unlike Herculaneum which received the maximum intensity if the heat Pompeii received slightly less intensity as the hot air was able to cool down over the distance. This meant that instead of the bodies being incinerated the people just died from too much heat and the toxic gases the surges carried. The plaster casts provided much detail not only of the position the bodies were found in, but also the facial expressions of the people and the clothes they were wearing, which gives an indication as to their social class[2].
Conclusion
The body casts found at Pompeii show that the eruption of Mt Vesuvius was significant, this is because these casts are unique and cant be found any where else in the world[3]. They give a unique understanding to our knowledge of Roman social life as they were frozen in time. The body casts allow us to see these people in the actual moment of their death. Because of these casts new and improved ways have been found to excavate other sites. These cast brought not only life to the victims but also more insight to many aspects of Roman life in that time. One of the aspects the casts brought light to was their clothing, as at this time Romans were believed to wear 'skimpy' clothes that were quite revealing and flirtatious[4]. The casts showed that this was not the case as you are able to see the detail and outline of the clothing which was much less revealing.
[1]- Bodies from the Ash
[2]- website- vesuviusandpompeii
[3]- website- vesuviusandpompeii
[4]- website- bbc
The casts of the people found in Pompeii are made using the cavities left by the bodies and filling them with plaster. They provide information on the victims of the volcanic eruption. Above is a group of 13 body casts known as the Garden of Fugitives. This is because they are believed to have been trying to escape the eruption, but were caught in the fourth surge[1]. Most of the bodies found in Pompeii were found in their homes or in places where they would generally be on any given day this is because they didn't expect the eruption to reach them as they were further away from Mt Vesuvius they didn't try to escape like the people of Herculaneum did. Because the people of Pompeii didn't evacuate as early on as the people of Herculaneum did, it resulted in many more bodies being found at Pompeii compared to Herculaneum. The lives and bodies of the people of Pompeii were able to be captured in plaster casts because of the distance between the city and volcano, unlike Herculaneum which received the maximum intensity if the heat Pompeii received slightly less intensity as the hot air was able to cool down over the distance. This meant that instead of the bodies being incinerated the people just died from too much heat and the toxic gases the surges carried. The plaster casts provided much detail not only of the position the bodies were found in, but also the facial expressions of the people and the clothes they were wearing, which gives an indication as to their social class[2].
Conclusion
The body casts found at Pompeii show that the eruption of Mt Vesuvius was significant, this is because these casts are unique and cant be found any where else in the world[3]. They give a unique understanding to our knowledge of Roman social life as they were frozen in time. The body casts allow us to see these people in the actual moment of their death. Because of these casts new and improved ways have been found to excavate other sites. These cast brought not only life to the victims but also more insight to many aspects of Roman life in that time. One of the aspects the casts brought light to was their clothing, as at this time Romans were believed to wear 'skimpy' clothes that were quite revealing and flirtatious[4]. The casts showed that this was not the case as you are able to see the detail and outline of the clothing which was much less revealing.
[1]- Bodies from the Ash
[2]- website- vesuviusandpompeii
[3]- website- vesuviusandpompeii
[4]- website- bbc