The 2015 project addressed these structural problems systematically. Iron rods were removed where possible and replaced with fiberglass, which does not corrode. Cracked sections were stabilized with acrylic resin injected into the fractures. Surface losses were documented and, in some cases, stabilized without filling, to preserve the record of what is original material.
The laser scanning of all 86 casts produced three-dimensional surface models that are now part of the permanent archive of the site. These models record the current condition of each cast in detail sufficient to detect future changes. They also provide a research resource: surface features visible in the three-dimensional model can be studied without handling the fragile originals. The CT scans of 16 casts provided the internal data — bone fragment positions, object placements, dental characteristics — that supplemented the DNA analysis.
The restoration project was therefore not simply a conservation effort but also a research platform. The decisions made about which casts to CT-scan and which to sample for DNA were made within this broader framework of documentation and analysis. The project’s findings — including the dental evidence suggesting low rates of tooth decay among the sampled individuals, linked to the low-sugar diet typical of Roman antiquity — were published separately from the DNA study and contribute to the cumulative knowledge being built about Pompeii’s population.
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## The Craft of Cast-Making: A Closer Look
Fiorelli’s technique for making plaster casts from the body voids in Pompeii’s volcanic deposits is, by the standards of modern conservation, a destructive process. The plaster poured into a void fills it permanently. Once set, the material cannot be removed without destroying the cast. The skeletal material inside, mixed with plaster and ash, cannot be accessed without cutting into the cast. The technique was revolutionary in 1863 because it rescued evidence that was otherwise lost — without filling, the voids would have collapsed as excavation continued — but it also created a permanent trade-off between surface preservation and internal access.