The truth behind Pompeii's mysterious 'stone bodies'

The famous 'stone bodies' of Pompeii are not petrified human remains but plaster casts created by archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1863. After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD (though alternative dates in October or November exist based on autumnal fruits among remains), victims were buried under volcanic ash and pumice that hardened around their bodies. Over 1,800 years, soft tissues decomposed, leaving cavities. Fiorelli pioneered a technique to fill these cavities with liquid plaster, then remove the surrounding ash to reveal realistic statues capturing final moments. Modern CT scans confirm original bones (including skulls and limbs) inside the casts. Recent DNA analysis has challenged historical assumptions: a supposed mother holding her child was actually a man, and some assumed families were unrelated individuals. Of over 1,000 victims found, only about 100 casts were made; in nearby Herculaneum, intense heat vaporized soft tissues, preventing cavity formation. Many famous casts are now displayed at the Archaeological Park and Antiquarium of Pompeii.