I.22.1 Pompeii. Plaster casts of 9 victims and beams discovered in August 1989.
There were ten corpses, one a young female skeleton and 9 others where casts were made.
[Originally, in the 1950’s this Insula was numbered as Reg. I, Insula 19.]
I.22.1 Pompeii, man
reaching out to woman. Two victims discovered in a house in Pompeii.
Photographed at “A
Day in Pompeii” exhibition at Melbourne Museum. September 2009.
I.22.1 Pompeii, man
reaching out to woman. The exhibition card says:
These two people
were found together in a Pompeii house, the man reaching out to the woman
before they died.
Photographed at “A
Day in Pompeii” exhibition at Melbourne Museum. September 2009.
I.22.1 Pompeii, man
reaching out to woman.
Photographed at “A
Day in Pompeii” exhibition at Melbourne Museum. September 2009.
I.22.1 Pompeii, man
and woman embracing.
I.22.1 Pompeii, man
reaching out to woman on left side of the group of casts.
Photographed at “A
Day in Pompeii” exhibition at Melbourne Museum. September 2009.
I.22.1 Pompeii. 1989. Plaster casts of victims.
Alla fine di
agosto del 1989 fu scoperto, in un settore non precedentemente scavato
dell'angolo nord-ovest dell'Insula 22 della Regio I, un gruppo di dieci
vittime, nello strato di cenere ad una altezza di circa 2,50 metri dal piano di
calpestio antico, di cui si riuscě a farne il calco di nove lasciati in situ
con adeguata copertura; anche in questo caso non č da escludersi che il gruppo
era legato da vincoli di parentela per la presenza di due bambini e forse di
una donna incinta abbracciata ad un uomo (NAPPO 1992, pp. 16-18).
At the end of
August 1989 a group of ten victims was discovered in a previously unexcavated
sector of the north-west corner of Insula 22 of Regio I, in the ash layer at a
height of approximately 2.50 metres from the ancient floor level, of which it
was possible to make nine casts, which were left in situ with adequate
covering; also in this case it cannot be excluded that the group was linked by
family ties due to the presence of two children and perhaps of a pregnant woman
hugging a man (NAPPO 1992, pp. 16-18)
Vedi/See De
Carolis E., and Patricelli D., 2018. Impronte Pompeiane. Roma: L'Erma di
Bretschneider, p. 105, (fig.
85).
According to Nappo, the victims of which the casts were made were in all 9 (10 with the skeleton, possibly of a slave, where it was not possible to make a cast): of these 2 clearly appeared to be infants; of the others, in order to be able to pronounce with scientific certainty about age, sex, any pathologies, it was advisable to wait for the results of laboratory tests. A first impression, perhaps an emotional one, seems to show, for two of them, the image of mutual solidarity in the moments of the drama, and almost an attempt at protection, in vain, by one, a man, towards the other, a woman who seems to be pregnant, who remained embraced at the moment of agony, with the first making a last desperate attempt to protect the other by spreading the flap of his pallium (cloak) over her face.
Another (eleventh) was found in the small street that divides insula 22 and insula 23 of Regio I, also with the same characteristics as the previous ones only it was not possible to make a cast because of the crushing of the
of the cavity due to the use of the area previous years: two golden rings with a full one very simple and the other with the other with a smooth bezel, adorned the victim's hand.
The room was probably a wine cellar or in any case intended for the processing of wine, because of the discovery of three large "dolia".
The owner probably had something to do with the name Stabianus since on the facade of the insula a titulus with this name was found and inside the insula similarly the same name was found graffitied.
See Nappo, S. C.,
1992. Il rinvenimento delle vittime dell'eruzione del 79 d.C. nella Regio I
Insula 22 a Pompei. Hyria, p. 16-18.
I.22.1 Pompeii. September 2005. Entrance on Via della Palestra with lapilli behind.
I.22.1 Pompeii. September 2005. Lapilli behind entrance, at a height of approximately 2.50 metres from the ancient floor level.
I.22.1 Pompeii. May 2012. Victims on the lapilli behind entrance. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
I.22.1 Pompeii. September 2005. Plaster casts of a group of fleeing people, discovered in 1989.
These were found on the lapilli behind the entrance.
According to the report they were found in the corner north-west of the insula in August 1989.
There were ten corpses, including 2 children, 1 girl and 1 woman.
See Luongo, G et al. (2003): Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 126, (p.169-200)
I.22.1 Pompeii. May 2012. Plaster casts of a group of fleeing people, discovered in 1989. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
According to Nappo, in addition to the ten victims were found the roof beams of the room which were also cast: the beams with a diameter varying between 10 and 15 cm.
See Nappo, S. C.,
1992. Il rinvenimento delle vittime dell'eruzione del 79 d.C. nella Regio I
Insula 22 a Pompei. Hyria, p. 16-18.
I.22.1 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking east.
I.22.1 Pompeii. May 2010. Under the blue girders are the body casts found in 1989, on the layer of lapilli above I.22.1.
I.22.1 Pompeii. May 2010. Looking north to the lapilli and remains of a cast.