When
archaeologists
first
found
skeletons
at
Pompeii,
they
noticed
that
there
was
a
gap
between
each
skeleton
and
the
hardened
layer
of
ash
around
it.
The
reason
for
this
was
that
the
ash
had
cooled
and
hardened
around
the
body.
Over
time
the
flesh
rotted
away,
leaving
only
the
bones.
They
drilled
through
the
ash,
and
poured
plaster
into
into
the
spaces
around
the
skeleton.
They
let
the
plaster
harden,
then
carefully
chipped
away
the
hardened
ash
around
it,
leaving
casts
of
the
victims
at
their
time
of
death.