For three days, volcanic ash fell, suffocating the Pompeian citizens, and bringing the once thriving city to a stand still, hidden for centuries. From the early 1590's, many excavations were conducted on Pompeii, however, mostly to retrieve what treasured artifacts could be found and sold. It wasn't until 1860 that Mr Giuseppe Fiorelli started excavating and using an ingenious method of pouring liquid plaster into the spaces left by the layers of ash by 1,100 humans, as well as animals, trees and wooden objects. The image you see above is a result of the plaster cast.