Unveiling the Forgotten Spirits of Pompeii: Revolutionary CT Scans Shed Light on Ancient Tragedy

Revealing Pompeii’s Lost Souls: Unprecedented CT Scans Illuminate Ancient Tragedy

After being entombed in ash for more than 1,900 years, the victims of the devastating eruption in Pompeii are being brought to life using modern-day imaging technology.

Archaeologists have spent the past year carefully restoring and scanning the preserved bodies of 86 Romans who died when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.

Now, the restorers have released the first results of these scans to show what lies under the plaster and casings of these people frozen in time.

image

 Archaeologists have spent the past year carefully restoring and scanning the preserved bodies of 86 Romans who died when Mount Vesuvius erupted near Pompeii in 79AD. They have now released the first results of these scans to show what lies beneath the plaster and casings of the people frozen in time (scans of a victim believed to have been four years old when he died is shown)

Perhaps the most surprising discovery was the excellent conditions of the Roman’s teeth. Researchers say it suggests they must have had a low sugar, high fibre diet and may even had eaten better than we did.

Among the victims to be scanned was a boy, believed to be around four years old, found frozen in terror.

He was discovered alongside an adult male and female, presumed to be his parents, as well as a younger child who appeared to be asleep on his mother’s lap.

The little boy’s clothing is visible in the plaster cast but now scans have revealed his tiny skeleton beneath these clothes.

One scan in particular resembles the 3D scans taken by doctors during pregnancy and show the young boy’s lips pursed, as if in shock.

The spine, ribs and pelvis of another victim, believed to be an adult male, have also been revealed by the project.

Other scans attempt to bring the skull of another victim to life using a specific contrast dye that mimics the appearance of muscles and skin.

These more gruesome scans help accentuate the victim’s teeth, but their empty eye sockets and collapsed nose give them a macabre feel.

image
image

The little boy’s clothing is visible in the plaster cast but now scans have revealed his tiny skeleton beneath these clothes. One scan (left) resembles the 3D-scans taken during pregnancy and shows the young boy’s lips pursed, as if in shock

image

Experts at the Pompeii Archaeological Site have been readying the poignant remains for the exhibition called Pompeii and Europe. Stefano Vanacore, director of the laboratory at Pompeii Archaeological Site can be seen carrying the remains of the petrified child in his arms (left). Lasers used as part of the scanning process are shown on top of the boy’s head in the right-hand picture

The scans have also revealed that many of the victims at Pompeii suffered severe head injuries perhaps caused by falling rubble as their homes collapsed in the earthquakes that accompanied the eruption.

Experts at the Pompeii Archaeological Site have been readying the poignant remains for the exhibition called Pompeii and Europe.

Over the years, many of the victims have been encased in plaster casts to help preserve them and their positions.

The restoration involves carefully breaking into these casts to reveal the bodies entombed in ash. The scans are used on bodies that are too delicate to break open, or to capture the details within the ash.

Computerised axial tomography (CAT) machines, also known as CT scanners, are used because they produce detailed 3D models of the remains.

image

Handheld scanners are also used to determine the features and positions of the bodies beneath the casts (pictured), especially those that are too fragile to fit inside the scanners. The scans are taken to prevent the restorers from accidentally damaging the remains

image

The spine, ribs and pelvis of another victim (left) have also been revealed by the project. The right-hand image has marked out the pelvis, femurs and knee bones of a further victim. The bones are shown in various colours to make them easier to distinguish from one another

In particular, tomography is the process of creating a 2D image or ‘slice’ of a 3D object.

They are used by doctors to examine the body one slice at a time to pinpoint specific areas, and the same method is used when studying the remains.

It is becoming a common method for examining archaeological remains and has previously been used to study Egyptian mummies, for example.

Stefania Giudice, a conservator from Naples national archaeological Museum who is working on the Pompeii victims: ‘It can be very moving handling these remains.’

image

Computerised axial tomography (CAT) machines (pictured scanning a victim), also known as CT scanners, are used because they produce detailed 3D models of the remains. In particular, tomography is the process of creating a 2D image or ‘slice’ of a 3D object. They are used by doctors to examine the body one slice at a time to pinpoint specific areas, and the same method is used when studying the remains

image

Other scans attempt to bring the skull of another victim to life using a specific contrast dye that mimics the appearance of muscles and skin. These scans help accentuate the victim’s teeth, but their empty eye sockets and collapsed nose give them a macabre feel

‘Even though it happened 2,000 years ago, it could be a boy, a mother or a family. It’s human archaeology, not just archaeology.’

The people’s poses reveal how they died, some trapped in buildings and others sheltering with family members.

In one haunting image, Stefano Vanacore, director of the laboratory can be seen carrying the remains of the tiny child in his arms who was imprisoned in ash when the volcano erupted on 24 August.

Another plaster cast of an adult reveals he raised his hands above his head in a protective gesture, seemingly in a bid to stave off death.

Pompeii was a large Roman town in the Italian region of Campania.

Mount Vesuvius unleashed its power by spewing ash hundreds of feet into the air for 18 hours, which fell onto the doomed town, choking residents and covering buildings.

But the deadly disaster occurred the next morning, when the volcano’s cone collapsed, causing an avalanche of mud travelling at 100mph (160km/h) to flood Pompeii, destroying everything in its path and covering the town so that all but the tallest buildings were buried.

People were buried too in the ash, which hardened to form a porous shell, meaning that the soft tissues of the bodies decayed, leaving the skeleton in a void.

image

Reports claim two thousand people died in Pompeii and the location was abandoned until it was rediscovered in 1748. Stefania Giudice, a conservator from Naples national archaeological Museum said: ‘It can be very moving handling these remains’ (the child victim is shown)

image

Once the scans are taken, experts can rotate and study the images in greater detail than is possible when studying the physical remains. The inside of this victim’s mouth including teeth and even cavities are pictured

Reports claim two thousand people died, and the location was abandoned until it was rediscovered in 1748. Many of the buildings, artefacts and skeletons were found intact under a layer of debris.

It is now classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site and more than 2.5 million tourists visit each year.

In November, French and Italian archaeologists excavating areas of the ancient town found raw clay vases that appear to have been dropped by Roman potters fleeing the disaster.

The perfectly-preserved settlement was discovered by accident in the 18th century, buried under 30ft of ash.

image

The majority of plaster casts were made in the mid 19th century, meaning that some have degenerated and need repairing, offering experts a glimpse inside them. When the human remains were first found archaeologists poured plaster inside to capture the positions the people were in when they died (pictured)

image

Many of the buildings, artefacts and skeletons (selection pictured) were found intact under a layer of debris. The site is now classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site and more than 2.5 million tourists visit each year

image

In all, only around 100 of the victims have been captured in plaster, to reveal people’s poses as well as pet dogs (pictured), for example. It is estimated that anywhere between 10,000 and 25,000 residents of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum were killed on the spot

Excavators were amazed to find human remains inside voids of the ash and soon worked out how to create casts of the people to capture a moment frozen in time.

Archaeologists poured plaster inside to capture the positions the people were in when they died, trapping their skeletons inside the plaster before removing the cast from the hole a couple of days later.

The technique means it’s possible to see the anguished and pained expressions of men, women and children who all perished as well as details such as hairstyles and clothes.

image

Pompeii was a large Roman town in the Italian region of Campania (marked). Mount Vesuvius unleashed its power by spewing ash hundreds of feet into the air for 18 hours, which fell onto the doomed town, choking residents and covering buildings. The deadly disaster occurred the next morning, when the volcano’s cone collapsed, causing an avalanche of mud travelling to flood Pompeii

image

Roman writer, Pliny the younger, described the panic during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Terrified Romans (illustrated) living in the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum saw ‘sheets of fire and leaping flames’ as they ran through dark streets carrying torches with pumice stone raining down upon them, he said

Creating casts is an exact science, because the plaster must be thin enough to show details of the person but thick enough to support the remains.

Approximately 1,150 bodies have been discovered so far, although a third of the city has yet to be excavated.

The majority of plaster casts were made in mid 19th century, meaning that some have degenerated and need repairing, offering experts a glimpse inside them.

In all, only around 100 of the voids have been captured in plaster, to reveal people’s poses as well as writhing pet dogs, for example. It is estimated that anywhere between 10,000 and 25,000 residents of Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum were killed on the spot.

Science of Preserving Victims Entombed in Ash by Mount Vesuvius

image

Archaeologists have been looking at new ways to preserve Pompeii’s victims without plaster. In 1984, one skeleton was cast using resin, to create a durable cast allowing the victim’s hair and hairpin to be captured perfectly. But resin casting is difficult and expensive so it has only been used once. Plaster remains a good option for making casts. An archaeologist is shown breaking into the plaster of a victim

Archaeologists have looked at new ways to preserve Pompeii’s victims without plaster.

In 1984, one skeleton was cast using resin, to create a durable cast allowing the victim’s hair and hairpin to be captured perfectly.

But resin casting is difficult and expensive so it has only been used once.

Plaster remains a good option for making casts, despite the technique being pioneered more than a century ago.

It has to be mixed to a precise consistency – thick enough to support the skeleton, but thin enough to capture as many details possible.

The mixture has to be carefully poured into the void in the ash through a narrow entrance to capture a person’s pose.

Dr Giudice said: ‘The bones are very brittle 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.’

Related Posts

“Discovery of 5,600-Year-Old Mummy Reveals Unprecedented Ancient Egyptian Embalming Formula”

F𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘v𝚎s th𝚊t E𝚐𝚢𝚙ti𝚊пs h𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎п 𝚞siп𝚐 𝚎m𝚋𝚊lmiп𝚐 𝚙𝚛𝚊ctic𝚎s 𝚏𝚘𝚛 m𝚘𝚛𝚎 th𝚊п 1,500 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛s l𝚘п𝚐𝚎𝚛 th𝚊п sci𝚎пtists 𝚋𝚎li𝚎v𝚎𝚍. F𝚛𝚎𝚍, th𝚎 T𝚞𝚛iп m𝚞mm𝚢. Oп𝚎 iпc𝚛𝚎𝚍i𝚋l𝚢 w𝚎ll-𝚙𝚛𝚎s𝚎𝚛v𝚎𝚍 5,600-𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚘l𝚍 m𝚞mm𝚢 is п𝚘w 𝚞𝚙𝚎п𝚍iп𝚐 m𝚞ch 𝚘𝚏 wh𝚊t w𝚎 th𝚘𝚞𝚐ht w𝚎 kп𝚎w 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞t Aпci𝚎пt …

The rediscovery of Noah a 6,500-year-old skeleton, who survived a great flood

Scieпtists at the Peпп Mυseυm iп Philadelphia are qυite literally cleaпiпg the skeletoпs oυt of their closets. Mυseυm staff receпtly rediscovered a 6,500-year- old hυmaп skeletoп that’s beeп boxed υp iп the basemeпt for 85 years. Tυcked away iп a storeroom, …

Unveiling Ancient Wonders: 3500-Year-Old Tomb Reveals Mysteries of Egyptian Epochs

In 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞n𝚍𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊kin𝚐 𝚊𝚛ch𝚊𝚎𝚘l𝚘𝚐ic𝚊l 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊kth𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐h, 𝚊 t𝚎𝚊м 𝚘𝚏 E𝚐𝚢𝚙ti𝚊n 𝚊𝚛ch𝚊𝚎𝚘l𝚘𝚐ists h𝚊s 𝚛𝚎c𝚎ntl𝚢 𝚞n𝚎𝚊𝚛th𝚎𝚍 𝚊 c𝚊𝚙tiʋ𝚊tin𝚐 𝚙i𝚎c𝚎 𝚘𝚏 hist𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘м 𝚊 t𝚘м𝚋 th𝚊t h𝚊𝚍 𝚛𝚎м𝚊in𝚎𝚍 𝚞nt𝚘𝚞ch𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 мill𝚎nni𝚊. Th𝚎 𝚍isc𝚘ʋ𝚎𝚛𝚢, which 𝚊𝚍𝚍s 𝚊n𝚘th𝚎𝚛 l𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 int𝚛i𝚐𝚞𝚎 t𝚘 E𝚐𝚢𝚙t’s …

Eight Ancient Egyptian Mummies that Lived 3,000 Years Ago Are Discovered in the Same Pyramid as King Amenhotep II, Unveiling a Fascinating Connection Between Egypt and Mesopotamia

Ei𝚐ht 𝚙h𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚘nic-𝚎𝚛𝚊 мυммi𝚎s h𝚊v𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎n 𝚍isc𝚘v𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊𝚛ch𝚎𝚘l𝚘𝚐ists 𝚊s Anci𝚎nt E𝚐𝚢𝚙t c𝚘ntinυ𝚎s t𝚘 𝚛𝚎v𝚎𝚊l its hi𝚍𝚍𝚎n t𝚛𝚎𝚊sυ𝚛𝚎s. Th𝚎𝚢 w𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘υn𝚍 in th𝚎 s𝚊м𝚎 𝚙𝚢𝚛𝚊мi𝚍 𝚊s Kin𝚐 Aм𝚎nh𝚘th II l𝚘c𝚊t𝚎𝚍 in D𝚊hshυ𝚛, n𝚎𝚊𝚛 th𝚎 G𝚛𝚎𝚊t P𝚢𝚛𝚊мi𝚍s 𝚘𝚏 Giz𝚊 w𝚎st 𝚘𝚏 c𝚊𝚙it𝚊l C𝚊i𝚛𝚘. …

Unraveling the Enigma: Archaeologists Probe the Enigmatic Disappearance of the Pharaoh’s Step-Mother in His Tomb

I𝚏 th𝚎 inv𝚎sti𝚐𝚊ti𝚘ns int𝚘 Kin𝚐 T𝚞t’s t𝚘m𝚋 𝚛𝚎v𝚎𝚊l hi𝚍𝚍𝚎n 𝚛𝚘𝚘ms, c𝚘𝚞l𝚍 th𝚘s𝚎 ch𝚊m𝚋𝚎𝚛s h𝚘l𝚍 th𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚛i𝚊l 𝚘𝚏 N𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛titi, th𝚎 l𝚘n𝚐-l𝚘st 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚎n wh𝚘 is 𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋l𝚢 c𝚘nn𝚎ct𝚎𝚍 t𝚘 th𝚎 t𝚎𝚎n𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚙h𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚘h? I𝚏 s𝚘, th𝚎𝚢 mi𝚐ht 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚘n𝚎 m𝚘𝚛𝚎 m𝚞mm𝚢 t𝚘 his int𝚛i𝚐𝚞in𝚐l𝚢 int𝚎𝚛w𝚘v𝚎n …

“Researchers Uncover a Novel Before-Birth Experience: Extraordinary Journey Inside a Golden Womb”

A𝚛ch𝚊𝚎𝚘l𝚘𝚐ists h𝚊v𝚎 j𝚞st 𝚍isc𝚘v𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊 s𝚙𝚎ci𝚊l, n𝚎v𝚎𝚛-𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎-s𝚎𝚎n E𝚐𝚢𝚙ti𝚊n m𝚞mm𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚛i𝚎𝚍 with 𝚊 𝚐𝚘l𝚍𝚎n t𝚘n𝚐𝚞𝚎. Tw𝚘 mill𝚎nni𝚊 𝚊𝚐𝚘, 𝚊nci𝚎nt E𝚐𝚢𝚙ti𝚊ns w𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚛i𝚎𝚍 in th𝚎 t𝚎m𝚙l𝚎 𝚘𝚏 T𝚊𝚙𝚘si𝚛is M𝚊𝚐n𝚊 𝚘𝚞tsi𝚍𝚎 Al𝚎x𝚊n𝚍𝚛i𝚊. Th𝚎i𝚛 𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊ns w𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎m𝚘v𝚎𝚍 𝚊n𝚍 th𝚎i𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚍i𝚎s …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *