Pompeii/Herculaneum: reconstruction/preservation - changing interpretations

Question 1

initial interpretation of cast:

Answer 1

Fiorelli’s cast never questioned, neither method used

Question 2

Lazer contribution:

Answer 2

study human remains and research people in Pompeii

people’s “real stories” deserved to be told not those “superimposed on them over time”

Question 3

current interpretation of Bisel’s work:

Answer 3

CT scanners used to scan cast first time, X-ray view and 3D image shown,

revealed: excellent diet of high fibre/little sugar,
- “pregnant woman” wasn’t pregnant nor woman
- those lived into 50-60s
- romanticised bones, no evidence for it
- challenging inaccurate labelling

Question 4

initial thoughts of human remains and now:

Answer 4

weren’t deemed important, 1700-1800s

• now modern focus: diet, health, daily life
• Sarah Bizel 1982 studied recently when found
• although no new excavations, more info can be found
• Lazer since 1980s

Question 5

new interpretation of cast:

Answer 5

• some bones were removed for metal bars/rods

- some casts “more art than science” may have been manipulated

Question 6

Estelle Lazer challenged:

Answer 6

Sarah Bisel, anecdotal backstories, new research/tech allow more accurate findings

Question 7

New tech: Lady..

Answer 7

Lady of Oplontis; made from transparent epoxy resin–> better view inside, however very irreversible/destructive, preserve final resting state

Question 8

papyri scrolls:

Answer 8

used to use a scroll-unwinding machine–> extremely fragile scrolls disintegrate, destructive

2016 article- European radiation Synchrotron Facility
new tech: X-ray couldn’t differentiate carbon-based ink to carbonised scroll
- contrast tomography–> UV radiation on unopen scrolls of HO Papyri can be read inside: greek by Phildeumus,

Question 9

new tech:3D scanning models

Answer 9

done by Herc Conservation Project
- laser scan survey, not best way to conserve–> time consuming, only aesthetic, removes from context no thoughtful analysis

yet allows reconstruction to take place without altering physical place, infinitie views, important archaeological tool

Swedish Pompeii Project:
since 2000, focus on Insula 5-1
models whole block– better picture, data acquisition lingering since excavation, still out of context, augmented reality (like Bizel and older - romanced)