Pompeii

Pompeii

Lawrence Technological University

January 25, 2016

Aluzzo, Adrienne (photograph)

visual works (works)

2006

Italy (nation)

Pompeii (deserted settlement)

sculpture (visual works)

dead (people)

Sculpture of the body of a child who died in the volcanic eruption that buried Pompeii, Italy in 79 AD from the Garden of the Fugitives. "At noon Mount Vesuvius roared to life, spewing ash hundreds of feet into the air for 18 hours straight. The choking ash rained down on the cities in the surrounding countryside, filling courtyards, blocking doors, and collapsing roofs ... Those that did not flee the city of Pompeii in August of 79 AD were doomed. Buried for 1,700 years under 30 feet of mud and ash and reduced by the centuries to skeletons, they remained entombed until excavations took place in the early 19th century. As excavators continued to uncover human remains, they noticed that the skeletons were surrounded by voids in the compacted ash. By carefully pouring plaster of Paris into the spaces, the final poses, clothing, and faces of the last residents of Pompeii came to life,"--Imprisoned in Ash: The Plaster Citizens of Pompeii, by Atlas Obscura from Slate online.

plaster

jpeg

©2013 Lawrence Technological University. These images may be used for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes without the explicit permission of LTU.

aaita050