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The casts made of the victims of Pompeii provide a unique insight into the way that the people died there in 79 AD as a result of the eruption of Vesuvius.

Margaret Mountford explains how the blanket of ash that covered the dead bodies hardened into rock and that this initially preserved the bodies. As their flesh decomposed over time, a perfect mould was formed in the rock, and this contained the mineral content of the bones, which had not decayed.

She then describes how Guiseppe Fiorelli developed the technique of injecting plaster of paris into the moulds to create the casts of the victims. Modern scientific techniques have allowed specialists to reconstruct the faces of some of the victims.