Who is unacquainted with the dreadful eruption of Mt. Vesuvius? That volcanic disaster brought raining death by heat, smoke, and ash.
Numerous detailed plaster casts of the dead portray life’s activities in Pompeii and other towns in clear detail. Men, women, and children lie in postures that prove how quickly they died. A cross-section of all aspects of life is seen – whether at home, work, or elsewhere.
Recently, the concept that most died from the volcanic ash was seriously reconsidered. A more probable explanation is that Pompeii victims died by flash heating. This understanding arose from a comparison of the way volcano victims died in other, nearby towns.
Questions Arise
But a question arises: What about wild, farm, and domestic animals? Are there “statues” of these creatures to be found? Logic dictates: Of course there are. But have you ever seen any? What varieties of animals were discovered? And were they always completely or even partly encased?
In fact, they do exist. Below are the links to some example photographs.
- Here is an image of a dog.
- And here is the image of a horse.
- Examine this image of a pig or boar.
- Here are the remains of a donkey with another dog.
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I had never heard of the people statues, although I had heard of Pompeii and that people were encased in lava. I think the term “statues” may be fairly new? It was interesting to see the animal “statues” too. I always hope that all of them, people and animals died quickly. 🙁
Yes, I’ve heard of this phenomenon and have seen pictures before. Each statue tells its own story, how horrific it may be.
I’m extremely excited about this horror being explained better to children…on a recent site people made ridiculous and disgusting remarks about the casts (I hesitate to call them statues). It needs to be explained again how the casts were made and why. The deaths of this city and most of its inhabitants is history! I’ve walked the streets and cried at seeing the casts. Thank you
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