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Bodies from the Ash

by James M. Deem

Best Books for Young Adults 2006, American Library Association
2006 Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
2006 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children K-12 
School Library Journal Best Children’s Books of 2005
2005 New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
2006 Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, NCTE

Reviews     Honors     Excerpt from Chapter 1

Bodies from the Ash by James M. Deem tells the story of the victims of Pompeii. After Mt. Vesuvius erupted on August 24 and 25, AD 79, Pompeii lay buried until 12 feet of volcanic ash and debris for the next 1700 years. Some attempts were made to excavate the town, but no one was certain of its exact location. Finally, in the mid-1700s, the town was rediscovered. Along with the desired treasures (statues, marble, jewelry) that excavators sought for wealthy patrons, workers also uncovered many skeletons of people who could not escape. At first, these skeletons were placed in locations within the Pompeian ruins as curiosity objects. Later, under the direction of Giuseppe Fiorelli, the hollow space around some skeletons was used as a mold. Workers poured plaster of  Paris into the cavity; when the outer shell of the mold was chipped away, the plaster body of a person remained—an imprint of that person’s last moment alive. 

By studying these individuals and the possessions that they had with them, Fiorelli and later scientists attempted to piece together their stories. Bodies from the Ash describes what they have found and the stories they have told. Approximately 50 photographs illustrate the book, many of them rare and many from the photography archives of the Pompeii Archaeological Site. Published by Houghton Mifflin.

 

 

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