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submitted 6 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago

Archaeologists preserved the newly discovered remains using a variation of a technique developed by Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1863. The process involves pouring liquid chalk into cavities left by decomposing bodies; this plaster fills gaps in preserved bones and teeth, creating a cast of the bodies as they looked at the moment of death.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-two-men-one-rich-and-one-enslaved-found-pompeii-180976383/

[-] ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 5 points 6 months ago

Was it a matter of some good timing that these casts were able to be made? That is, with enough time, wouldn't the voids/cavities themselves likely collapse with the gradual shifting of the soil?