Ethical Issues – The Study and Display of Human Remains

Study and Research• Fiorelli introduced the

method of pouring plaster into the cavities left by the people and animals of Pompeii

• As a result, it is impossible to make deductions about the manner of their deaths

Study and Research• Apart from the casts, skeletal remains have also been found at

P• Generally these bones were ignored by early excavators and

stored in various buildings around P• This was not a systematic storage of complete skeletons, but

bones all jumbled together

Study and Research• In Pompeii, Estelle Lazer from Sydney UNI has made a study

of these skeletal remains• She first studied those from the House of Menander, where

she found that some of the ‘skeletons’ uncovered had in fact been assembled from a number of different skeletons

• She then examined the remains of over 300 people stored in the Sarno Baths

• Using the techniques of anthropology and forensic medicine she investigated sex, age , height, signs of disease, and the relationship between victims

Study and Research• Lazer believes that the victims were a good representative

sample of the population• The bones show that the people of P healthy and well-

nourished, although their teeth were in bad stages of wear and decay

• Evidence of various medical conditions suggest that people lived well into their 50’s and 60’s The House of

Menander

Study and Research• In H, the initial 130

skeletons found in the boathouse were examined by Sara Bisel in the 1980’s

• She examined the remains to establish levels of health and socio-economic status as well as cause/causes of death

• Some of Bisel’s conclusions were highly speculative, especially those about the ID and occupation of individuals

Study and Research• A subsequent and more detailed examination of the remains

was conducted by an Italian team, led by Luigi Carpasso between 2000 – 2002

• The skeletons of the victims of H have been preserved because of the nature of the volcanic deposit which kept them airtight

• These skeletons are in better condition than those at P because individual skeletons have been kept largely intact and excavation and storage have been more carefully conducted

Display of Human Remains• Italian society has a tradition of displaying the bodies or body

parts of saints and martyrs• In the broader context, international museums have held

human remains for research and public display for more than a century

Display of Human Remains• In the latter part of the 20th C, largely in response to the

demands of the indigenous communities, attitudes began to change and debates centred on whether human remains were of scientific or cultural significance

Display of Human Remains

• Codes of ethics were developed by museums, universities and archaeologists which showed sensitivity to community attitudes

• Some museums closed exhibitions and returned human remains to the countries or communities from which they had been removed

• It is within this context that concerns have been raised about the display of human remains at P

Display of Human Remains• In early excavations at P, human remains were

regarded as exhibits for important visitors• Skeletons were assembled (often incorrectly) in

tableaux which allegedly depicted the ‘last moments’ of the individual concerned

Display of Human Remains• Plaster casts made by Fiorelli were also considered appropriate

for general exhibition• They were displayed in situ, assembled in groups in new

locations or displayed individually in glass cases• Casts have been stored for years among the pots and other

artefacts in storerooms off the forum in Pompeii, the most well-known being the

Muleteer

Display of Human Remains• International

visitors, rather than Italians have expressed concern about the way bodies are displayed and discussions have begun about more sensitive ways of dealing with human remains at the site

Display of Human Remains• Human remains at H

have been treated differently

• When skeletons were discovered in the brick chambers along the shore line, they were not displayed to the public

• Bones were excavated and replaced with casts

Questions:

• Draw and complete the following table.

Concerns of their display Value of Human Remains