Archaeologists uncovered hollow cavities in hardened volcanic pumice in an area that had been a vineyard, preserving people caught by Pompeii’s pyroclastic flow. Liquid plaster was poured into the cavities to form casts of 14 individuals frozen in their final gestures of flight. Later restoration work in 2016 revealed hidden objects within one huddled man’s plaster. Non-invasive CT scans showed the man carried a medical case with a sophisticated lock, containing a basalt slab for grinding powders and cosmetics and six metallic instruments likely used for surgery. He also carried a cloth bag with silver and bronze coins, including a bronze sestertius from the Flavian era.
"During restoration work in 2016, researchers found objects hidden with the plaster of a huddled man. Using CT scans, which allowed the cast to be examined non-invasively, researchers discovered the doctor was carrying the tools of his trade as he attempted to flee Pompeii. This included his medical case, a bronze-rimmed rectangular box that was made from an organic material, such as wood or leather, and had a sophisticated lock. Inside, scans showed the doctor carried a slab of basalt slab that was used to grind powders and cosmetics, as well as six metallic instruments, likely surgical tools."
"In the early 1960s, archaeologists uncovered one of the most haunting and poignant scenes of Pompeii. In an area that had once been a lush vineyard on the southern edge of the city, they discovered a series of hollow cavities in the hardened volcanic pumice. These were the outlines of people caught by the pyroclastic flow and the site became known as the Garden of Fugitives. Using a locally pioneered technique, liquid plaster was poured in, giving form to the bodies."
"There were 14 people in total, all frozen in their final gesture of flight. One pressed his arm against the ground as though trying to rise, another lay face down, others stretched out their hands to protect children. In the discovery's aftermath, these figures were given identities and backstories, ones that proved largely fictional. Now, however, archaeologists have used modern diagnostic imaging technology to demonstrate that one of the fugitives was a Roman doctor."
"In addition to the medical case, the doctor carried a small cloth bag that contained four silver coins and three bronze coins. One of the bronze coins appears to be a sestertius from the Flavian era (69 C.E. to 96 C.E.). "[The discovery] adds a new piece to the knowledge of one of the most moving and terrible contexts of the ancient city, the very emblem of the tragedy that struck an entire population," the park director Gabriel Zuchtriege"
Read at Artnet News
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