Over the years, and for reasons we're not entirely sure about, this blog's final post of the year has been about the ancient town of Pompeii, best remembered for being destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. John Bellairs told the fanciful story of the supposed Saint Floradora in his first book, Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies (1966), who was a victim of the deadly blast. The story of misinterpreting ancient texts always cracks us up.
So here we are again at the end of another calendar. This time it was a short piece at ExplorersWeb about what those plaster casts of the residents and what those former residents wore:
Researchers from the University of Valencia have re-examined 14 of Pompeii’s famous plaster casts. The casts were made in the 19th century by pouring plaster into the voids left behind when bodies decomposed within hardened volcanic ash. Some of these casts not only show us the haunting shapes of the deceased, but they also show impressions of their clothing.At least four of the 14 casts within the study are wearing these thick woolen clothes. It would have been an unusual choice during the height of summer in southern Italy. Historians have long accepted that Vesuvius erupted on Aug. 24, 79 CE....Archaeologists have been questioning the August date for years because of what else has been found at the sites. Autumn fruits, chestnuts, fermented wine, and the remains of hearths in homes all point to cooler weather. Charcoal graffiti, which researchers think was likely only a week old at the time of the eruption, mentions October 17. If correct, this would mean the disaster took place in late October.Whether the woolen cloaks reflect the season, social norms at the time, or a last-ditch attempt at protection may never be fully known. The research shows how seemingly minor details can make us question events that have been studied for centuries, and understand how the people of Pompeii may have responded as the disaster unfolded.
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