For the first time in 1,900 years, a mother and child's remains have been unearthed, and archaeologists are uncovering the terrifying tale that led to that moment, frozen in time.
Plaster experts have been able to take a cast of the scene, a "scared boy on his mother's lap," according to Canada Journal. At first glance, it appears the 4-year-old child ran to his mother for comfort and safety as Mount Vesuvius erupted. Thousands were killed as the Roman town was covered in volcanic ash in 79 A.D. These skeletons had been preserved since.
In 2010, studies showed that a heat surge reached temperatures of 300°C in Pompeii, causing odd contorting of the corpses, according to the U.K. Mirror.
"(It was) enough to kill hundreds of people in a fraction of a second," volcanologist and study leader Giuseppe Mastrolorenzo said. "The contorted postures are not the effects of a long agony, but of the cadaveric spasm, a consequence of heat shock on corpses."
"It can be very moving handling these remains when we apply the plaster," conservator Stefania Giudice said, according to Canada Journal. "Even though it happened 2,000 years ago, it could be a boy, a mother or a family. It's human archaeology, not just archaeology."
The mother and child, along with a nearby "father and sibling," is part of the study of 86 casts in the laboratory of Pompeii Archaeological Site.
