Pompeii: Explosion of Information

In one of my GRS classes we talked briefly about the famous city of Pompeii. My professor mentioned the excavation but only enough to leave me hanging. 


In 62 AD the cities surrounding Mt. Vesuvius experienced a extremely damaging earthquake and were in the process of rebuilding as the volcano exploded in 79 AD. The volcano had two stages, first the huge column of ash and smoke which continued for several hours(allowing for most of the population to evacuate) and then the pyroclastic flow of lava and rock that engulfed the city( UNESCO, 2011). 

Mt. Vesuvius today

Carlo di Borbone, King of Naples, began excavations in 1748 as a way to bring prestige and fame to his kingdom. From that time until the mid-19th century there were periodic findings. It was many years after di Borbone when the city was actually identified as Pompeii. It was not until  Giuseppe Fiorelli was appointed director of the excavation in 1861 that major turning points and findings were made(Archaeological Heritage, 2008). 

Plaster cast of dog

The most interesting and well known part of the excavation are the plaster casts. Fiorelli filled the empty cavities he came upon while excavating with plaster. These empty spaces were left by decomposition of organic material (humans,animals, wood, plants, etc.) and by filling in these spaces with the plaster, Fiorelli was able to capture the last moments of the people and life of Pompeii. From these plaster casts they have been able to recreate furniture from living spaces of the Ancient world. In an interesting twist, researchers can identify the plaster casts of plant roots in order to recreate the gardens the ancient citizens of Pompeii would have possessed(Archaeological Heritage, 2008). 

Plaster cast  of a person found at Pompeii

The volcanic explosion provided an insight to the economic situation and social strata that is not commonly seen from an Ancient city. The preservation of buildings and the plaster casts are extremely rare in archaeology. But the techniques used in this excavation have opened new doors in other Ancient discoveries, such as the other cities affected by Mt. Vesuvius' eruption. 

Excavated city of Pompeii

Discovery News provides a video of the Pompeii casts exhibit: 

Bibliography:

Archaeological Heritage of Naples and Pompei 2008, , The History of Excavation . Available: http://www.pompeiisites.org/Sezione.jsp?titolo=History%20of%20the%20Excavation&idSezione=1769&idSezioneRif=1165 [2012, March/27].

UNESCO: World Heritage Organization 2011, ,
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata. Available: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/829 [2012, March/27].


Photos:


City of Pompeii. Photo. http://cdn.enjoyourholiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Exploring-Pompeii-1.jpg


Mt. Vesuvius. Photo. http://volcanogeek.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/mount-vesuvius-italy_thumb.jpg.


Pompeii Dog Cast. Photo. http://urbantitan.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/04/Plaster_Citizens_of_Pompeii_2.jpg


Video: 
Discovery News. Pompeii Exhibit. http://news.discovery.com/videos/history-pompeii-body-casts-invade-new-york.html#mkcpgn=snag1