Resurrecting Pompeii

Resurrecting Pompeii provides an in-depth study of a unique site from antiquity with information about a population who all died from the same known cause within a short period of time. Pompeii has been continuously excavated and studied since 1784. Early scholars working in Pompeii and other sites associated with the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius were seduced by the wealth of artifacts and wall paintings yielded by the site. This meant that the less visually attractive evidence, such as human skeletal remains, were largely ignored. Recognizing the important contribution of the human skeletal evidence to the archaeology and history of Pompeii, Resurrecting Pompeii remedies that misdemeanor, and provides students of archaeology and history with an essential resource in the study of this fascinating historical event.

Estelle Lazer is an Honorary Research Associate the University of Sydney. Her reserarc interests include forensic archaeology and Antarctic cultural heritage management. She has spent seven field seasons working on the human skeletal remains at Pompeii.