These are NOT Statues but Casts of REAL People…and Their Deaths were Certainly Horrific!

There is a horrifying yet historic exhibit at the Naples National Archaeological Museum featuring casts of real people – real people who died when the powerful Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

What is weirdly fascinating about this exhibit is that modern-day people get a glimpse of what life had been back in this era and how horrific it can be when nature unleashes its fury.

The Eruption

Known as one of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions of all time, the explosion rocked the area for miles around while a deadly plume of ash, fumes, and rocks was ejected as high as 20.5 miles (33 km) up in the sky!

Then, molten lava and piping hot pulverized pumice rolled down the mountain at a rate of 1.5 million tons per second, leaving the people in its path with no chance to survive. The eruption obliterated the city of Pompeii, killing at least 16,000 of its residents.

The aftermath was felt not just for days or weeks but for MONTHS! The eruption also caused major shift in climate around the world, as the thick plume was present for months, blocking the sun not just around the volcano but to areas located miles away.

The Victims

It took archeologists centuries to fully explore Pompeii and its surrounding areas, all covered under thick layers of ash, stones, and hardened lava. When they finally got to the bottom, the sight that greeted them was horrific yet also fascinating at the same time: the last moments of the people of Pompeii, forever frozen in hardened lava.

Of course, because of the centuries that passed, the bodies have already decomposed. Thus, archeologists poured in molten casts into the spaces – the results showed statue-like casts of real people during their last moments.

In one particularly large room, the archeologists discovered a total of thirteen people in various positions, trying their best to escape or fight the rush of extremely hot magma.

People at the streets were the ones who instantaneously got caught with the volcano’s fury. They had no chance to live.

What a way to die.