Archaeologists have created a new digital reconstruction of one of the victims of the Roman-era Pompeii volcano disaster. They did this for the first time with, how could it be otherwise, artificial intelligence.
Source: Reuters, Archeological Park Pompeii
Excavations have been carried out for years in the area within and around Pompeii, the Roman city that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Now, for the first time, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, in collaboration with the University of Padova, has used artificial intelligence to digitally bring those excavations to life.
That produces a striking image. We see a man in his 40s fleeing in panic from a rain of falling rocks. Above his head he holds a clay dish, probably to try to protect himself in a last ditch effort.
“That image is reminiscent of the descriptions of Pliny the Younger, himself an eyewitness to the disaster, who referred in a letter to how fleeing people tried to defend themselves against explosive material with objects or pillows on their heads,” the park’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said on social media.
Scientifically substantiated
The reconstruction was based on very recent excavations in the Porta Stabia district, just outside the walls of ancient Pompeii. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of two men who tried to flee to the coast during the eruption.
The younger of the two was probably carried away by a so-called pyroclastic flow: a burning ash cloud and poisonous gases. The other, the older one, died a few hours earlier when he was hit by a heavy shower of stones. In addition to the clay dish, he also wore an iron ring on his left finger and had ten bronze coins in his pocket.
The digital reconstruction was created through a combination of AI software and photo retouching techniques. The intention was to evoke a “scientifically substantiated image” of the Pompeii disaster, says director Zuchtriegel.
