How Did Giuseppe Fiorelli: Time Spent Excavating Pompeii
From the Private Journal of Pietro Evangelista
Personal accounts recalling his time spent excavating Pompeii
I remember arriving at the site set to be surveyed; the boss and I took a good look around and both sighed. The dirt and debris got everywhere on me. It was impossible to escape. Before us stood a civilization lost in time. Although much was destroyed by the eruption, earthquakes and the passing of time, the preserved remains were astonishing. One could imagine living as a commoner before the devastation in 79 AD.
Giuseppe Fiorelli was the director of excavations, and I was his personal assistant. Work had begun long before our arrival, and Fiorelli was not thrilled about what the French and Rocque Joaquín de Alcubierre had left us from previous excavations. Our friendship sparked after he took me under his wing. I always longed to be an archeologist, and as his apprentice I soaked up every word Fiorelli spoke. He was like a much older and wiser brother, and we …show more content…
In light it was a major discovery for us. I was made to pour plaster into the forms that once held within them the bodies of the victims, now deteriorated and hollow. The plaster replicated the delicate form, much easier for us to work with. A new height was reached that day, allowing much information to be uncovered. We were now able to tell more about the people just before their final moments (Figure B). The plaster molds’ versatility allowed us to learn even about the types of vegetation that was grown. “The procedure was applied to holes in the ground left by roots, and led to the identification of plants and vegetables.” (Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Pompeii, Ercolano e Stabia) I called it “the Fiorelli process” which seemed to catch on. We casted everything in sight hoping it could help us more. I even remember casting the shutter on a house in the Villa of
Personal accounts recalling his time spent excavating Pompeii
I remember arriving at the site set to be surveyed; the boss and I took a good look around and both sighed. The dirt and debris got everywhere on me. It was impossible to escape. Before us stood a civilization lost in time. Although much was destroyed by the eruption, earthquakes and the passing of time, the preserved remains were astonishing. One could imagine living as a commoner before the devastation in 79 AD.
Giuseppe Fiorelli was the director of excavations, and I was his personal assistant. Work had begun long before our arrival, and Fiorelli was not thrilled about what the French and Rocque Joaquín de Alcubierre had left us from previous excavations. Our friendship sparked after he took me under his wing. I always longed to be an archeologist, and as his apprentice I soaked up every word Fiorelli spoke. He was like a much older and wiser brother, and we …show more content…
In light it was a major discovery for us. I was made to pour plaster into the forms that once held within them the bodies of the victims, now deteriorated and hollow. The plaster replicated the delicate form, much easier for us to work with. A new height was reached that day, allowing much information to be uncovered. We were now able to tell more about the people just before their final moments (Figure B). The plaster molds’ versatility allowed us to learn even about the types of vegetation that was grown. “The procedure was applied to holes in the ground left by roots, and led to the identification of plants and vegetables.” (Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Pompeii, Ercolano e Stabia) I called it “the Fiorelli process” which seemed to catch on. We casted everything in sight hoping it could help us more. I even remember casting the shutter on a house in the Villa of