Very few human remains had been found in the ruins of Herculaneum, leading excavators to assume that most of the town’s 5,000 residents escaped. However, a chance discovery in 1980 of a skeleton near the seashore encouraged archeologists to reconsider. As excavations proceeded on the beach and in the nearby arcades, or boathouses, hundreds of skeletons were discovered.  The remains of almost 300 people, as well as two horses and some dogs, have been found so far. Undoubtedly, more of Vesuvius’ victims await discovery.

One particular arcade along the beach, Arcade 12, is especially revealing. Twenty adults, three adolescents, two children and seven babies—in all, thirty-two people— huddled here as they waited for rescue. One of the victims carried a complete set of surgical tools with him. The tools, which can be seen in the exhibit, are remarkably similar to medical instruments used today. They give us a glimpse of the surprisingly sophisticated abilities that Roman doctors must have had.

The victims found in Arcade 12 gave excavators a unique opportunity to study the remains of Romans of the 1st century A.D. Because they preferred to cremate their dead, human bones are not often found at Roman sites. Very little could be known until entire skeletons were found, as they were at Herculaneum. Scientists have now analyzed the bones, examining them carefully. Through various forms of scientific testing, they have been able to determine how well-nourished certain individuals were, how routinely they were involved in heavy manual labor, and overall, how healthy this fairly representative subset of Herculanean society would have been.



One of the more chilling artifacts displayed in the exhibit is the cast of skeletons of the thirty-two people found in Arcade 12. When excavators cleared away the debris, they were able to cast the bones and make an ‘archeo-surface’ cast of the skeletons exactly as they were found. The bones of the victims bear mute witness to the searing heat of the surge that roared through town and over the seafront, instantly killing everyone in its path.