In a final desperate movement, a dying man raises himself from the floor and tries to protect his pregnant wife, cupping his hand over her face. Their five children are dying or dead, four huddled in a group and the baby alone on the other side of the room. All too quickly, the family succumbs to the choking fumes spewing from Vesuvius. The fine, grey ash that fills the air quickly covers the bodies.
Just over 2000 years later, archaeologists have discovered the family. Preserved now as a mixture of concrete and resin, the little group is a poignant reminder of the catastrophic eruption that destroyed the towns and villages around Pompeii in August 79 AD .
Archaeologists and historians have been digging at Pompeii since the early 18th century. Today they have reached a point where they can paint an accurate picture of the life this family led. Who ...
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