The volcanic eruption that hit Pompeii in 79 CE destroyed the bustling Roman city and covered it in ash. This ash ultimately preserved the city, which remained untouched until the 19th century, thus giving us the unique opportunity to see what an ancient Roman city looked like. But aside from preserving buildings, the ash also preserved the bodies of the 2,000 people living in Pompeii who were killed when Mount Vesuvius erupted.

The organic matter of these bodies had long since deteriorated by the time excavations began; however, in 1863, Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli discovered human-shaped voids in the ash. The shape of the corpses was retained in the ash, and archeologists began making casts of the bodies. Today, many of these casts are displayed on site in Pompeii, giving the public a unique perspective on this catastrophic event.