The “plaster casting” technique was created to capture

The “plaster casting” technique was created to capture

the final moments of those who perished in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. When the volcano erupted, it buried the Roman city of Pompeii under layers of ash and pumice. Many people were trapped and buried under several meters of volcanic material. Over time, their bodies decomposed, leaving empty spaces in the hardened ash. In the 1800s, archaeologists discovered that by pouring liquid plaster into these spaces, they could create detailed molds of the victims. Once the plaster set, they carefully removed the surrounding ash to reveal the exact positions of the people at the time of their deaths. These casts often show individuals curled up or shielding their faces, preserving the tragic final moments of the eruption. This method allowed archaeologists to gain a deeper, more personal understanding of the disaster and helped keep the memory of those who lived in ancient Pompeii alive.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

During a series of military exercises conducted by the Luftwaffe in 1940,

Image
During a series of military exercises conducted by the Luftwaffe in 1940, an unidentified flying object was reportedly captured passing through a dense smoke screen used for battlefield simulation. These images, once classified, have resurfaced and sparked renewed interest among UFO researchers and historians alike. According to those familiar with the archive, the photos were part of a secret German military file and show a disc-shaped object navigating above the exercise zone—clearly visible despite the obscuring smoke. What makes these photos particularly intriguing is the historical context. In the early 1940s, technology was nowhere near advanced enough to explain such a craft. Jets were only in experimental stages, and drones, as we know them today, did not exist. The precision and speed with which the object moved—along with its apparent resistance to turbulence caused by explosions and heavy machinery—left Luftwaffe officers baffled at the time. Many now believe this is early e...
Read more

On March 16, 1968, the My Lai Massacre took place in Vietnam,

Image
**On March 16, 1968, the My Lai Massacre took place in Vietnam, during which around 500 unarmed villagers were brutally murdered by U.S. troops.** (Content note: sexual violence.) The massacre began when U.S. forces shelled the village. Ground troops then entered, encountering no resistance. Nevertheless, they began systematically killing the villagers—rounding up women, children, and the elderly, shooting them, and raping many of the women. One U.S. serviceman, **Hugh Thompson**, was flying a helicopter over the area when he witnessed the atrocities unfolding. Seeing a group of soldiers advancing toward a group of women and children, Thompson and his crewmates—**Lawrence Colburn** and **Glenn Andreotta**—prepared their weapons, landed their helicopter in front of the soldiers to block their path, and called for additional helicopters to help evacuate survivors to safety. The perpetrators later falsely claimed that they had killed dozens of National Liberation Front guerrillas. In rea...
Read more

In The Lost World of the Kalahari, Laurens van der Post recounts his time living among the indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert

Image
In The Lost World of the Kalahari, Laurens van der Post recounts his time living among the indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert . He describes their shock when they discovered that he couldn’t hear the stars. At first, they assumed he was joking or lying. But when they realized he truly couldn’t hear them, they were deeply saddened. To the Bushmen, being unable to hear nature was the most serious affliction a person could have—a sign of profound disconnection from the world around them.
Read more