Reconstruction and artistic representations inspired by the remains
The reconstruction of Pompeii has been accomplished through the preservation of the plaster casts of the victims as mentioned before. These plaster casts are now put on display and are actively preserved not only for historical value, but for the viewing pleasure of the public; Pompeii is currently open for tourists and visitors to walk around the forgotten Roman city and view the human remains for themselves. One great example of this would be the ‘Garden of the Fugitives’ reconstruction. The reconstruction via plaster casts of the victims depicts thirteen bodies that were caught and inevitably died during the eruption as they were trying to escape the city. In order to preserve this shed for the casts to live in has been created with viewing access still permitted by the public.
In terms of artistic representation inspired by these remains, Pompeii is quite the fabled city and is very present in today’s culture with films being made (although not historically accurate) such as “Pompeii” and documentaries that depict the great city’s final days. Not only are film adaptations available, Pompeii has also been represented through the song “Pompeii” by Bastille with the lyrics speaking of the ‘the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we loved’ & ‘grey clouds roll over the hills bringing darkness coming from above’. |
Above is a slideshow on the recreation and display of the 'Garden of Fugitives'