1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:04,200 NARRATOR: As the Roman Empire reaches its height, 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:07,920 an eruption of Mount Vesuvius buries the town of Pompeii. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,360 KAYLA IACOVINO: Imagine walking outside of your house... 5 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 6 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,040 and seeing stones falling from the heavens. 7 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,520 NARRATOR: Almost 2,000 years later, casts are made of voids 8 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:21,080 in the solidified ash, 9 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,400 revealing the bodies of those who died. 10 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:26,000 ROBERT MEYER: These are people left behind, 11 00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:27,840 watching the world collapse around them. 12 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,120 NARRATOR: For one group, called the Fugitives, 13 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,440 archaeologists are now using modern forensic techniques 14 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:36,840 to examine the bones hidden inside. 15 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:38,760 ALAIN MIDDLETON: Teeth. You can definitely see teeth. 16 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:40,280 -DR. ESTELLE LAZER: Oh, yeah, lots. -MIDDLETON: Look at 'em. 17 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,160 NARRATOR: To reveal who these people were... 18 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,280 LAZER: Oh, my god, what's that there? 19 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:49,160 NARRATOR: How they lived, and why they became victims 20 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,000 of the most famous disaster of the ancient world. 21 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,400 Nearly two millennia after Vesuvius wiped it off the map, 22 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,000 archaeologists excavated Pompeii to reveal an entire Roman town, 23 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:14,840 complete with an amphitheater 24 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,160 and a grand forum surrounded by temples. 25 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:21,240 KATHRYN WELCH: Well, how exciting is this? 26 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:23,160 STIJN LUYCK: Here we are. 27 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:28,720 NARRATOR: They also found bodies. 28 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:37,200 The most iconic are a group of 13 victims known as the Fugitives. 29 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:38,280 LAZER (off screen): So, I do have a plan. 30 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:39,240 LUYCK (off screen): Yeah. 31 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:41,160 LAZER: And I would want to start at that end, 32 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:42,680 -I want to go that way. -LUYCK: Yeah. 33 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,400 NARRATOR: A team of experts 34 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:47,360 is launching the first ever forensic investigation 35 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,520 into their remains. 36 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,200 They're led by Dr. Estelle Lazer. 37 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,440 LAZER: There's a hole in the wall at the back of the display 38 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,800 and people actually put flowers through for the tiny children. 39 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,960 They're a very, very powerful reminder 40 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:12,600 of the event that killed so many people. 41 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:13,880 -LUYCK: Ready. -LAZER: Mm-hmm. 42 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,920 NARRATOR: For volcanologist Kayla Iacovino, 43 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,000 clues in the rocks shed light on why this eruption was so deadly. 44 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,040 It started with a bang. 45 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:39,440 IACOVINO: So when the eruption first began, 46 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,320 you would have seen a jet of material coming up in the middle 47 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:44,520 and then branching out, like an umbrella shape. 48 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,560 They probably would have felt rumbling, shaking, 49 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:51,960 as the magma hit the surface and exploded... 50 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,880 and this huge cloud just looming over everything, 51 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,520 sort of spreading out above the city. 52 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,920 NARRATOR: The majority of Pompeiians left immediately. 53 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,520 But within the city walls, over a thousand bodies 54 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:12,760 have been found. 55 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,560 It's long been assumed these people were physically unable to run away. 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,440 The old, the very young, and the frail. 57 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,040 With the Fugitives, 58 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:33,800 Dr. Lazer can put this theory to the test. 59 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,960 LAZER: There's the skull. That's good. 60 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,640 NARRATOR: Her work should determine if age or disability 61 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:42,120 prevented their escape. 62 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:46,880 LAZER: We're using traditional forensic techniques 63 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,240 to work out what age the victims were when they died, 64 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:55,280 if there's any sign of illness or trauma, 65 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,360 any evidence about their lifestyles. 66 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:00,960 -Looks like two rips. -MIDDLETON: Two rips. 67 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,840 LAZER: Just to get a sense of who they were. 68 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,240 NARRATOR: The Fugitives were discovered by head of excavations, 69 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,160 Amedeo Maiuri in 1961. 70 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,160 They're incredibly life-like, 71 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,320 seemingly frozen at the moment of death. 72 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:30,120 This was made possible by a technique pioneered in the nineteenth century. 73 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:36,240 Local archaeologist Antonio de Simone explains how it works. 74 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,520 ANTONIO DE SIMONE (off screen): This is the first plaster cast 75 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,520 that was made in Pompeii. 76 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,440 While the archaeologist was digging 77 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,880 at about 16 feet above road level, 78 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,640 he noticed a hollow space, 79 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,960 and immediately thought it could be a body. 80 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,640 NARRATOR: Over the years, the flesh rots away, 81 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:10,080 but the form of the body is preserved as a cavity in the ash. 82 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,640 By filling the void with Plaster of Paris, 83 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:22,000 a three-dimensional replica of each victim was produced. 84 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:28,240 DE SIMONE: The cast has accurately preserved all the details 85 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:34,840 of the cape worn by the victim 86 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:38,160 as if it was a sculpture. 87 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,640 NARRATOR: But wherever detail was lacking, 88 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,920 nineteenth century archaeologists often improved 89 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:49,800 the casts themselves. 90 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:57,960 DE SIMONE: If we look closely, we can see a dividing line. 91 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:05,760 Above it, the face was probably a shapeless bulk 92 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:09,640 which was then redefined with extra plaster, 93 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,760 so this has all been re-worked. 94 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:15,560 They didn't set out to deceive, 95 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:20,640 but the casts are like photos of the tragedy. 96 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,000 They need to convey what happened. 97 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,400 NARRATOR: When Maiuri's team worked on the Fugitives, 98 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,320 it's thought that they, too, sculpted the plaster 99 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,600 to make the casts more lifelike. 100 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,640 To engage the public, he also created a story 101 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,800 about who they were and how they died. 102 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,000 LAZER: For him, it was a remarkable discovery. 103 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:51,680 There were 13 victims together, so it was the largest number 104 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,400 of casts that had been made at one time. 105 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,240 He wrote a very emotional article 106 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,840 which had a profound impact on people visiting the site. 107 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,360 NARRATOR: Published in National Geographic magazine, 108 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,120 that article sketched out the characters in the group 109 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:12,640 and the relationships between them. 110 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,960 The bodies were originally found in three smaller groups. 111 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,640 Now lined up as one, the groups remain. 112 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:28,360 Maiuri described the first two as families of farmers. 113 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,720 He claimed the third group was a merchant family, 114 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,320 giving vivid details about their final moments. 115 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,440 LAZER: He says they're two boys who he reckons 116 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:41,600 were holding hands and fell as one. 117 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,840 And then the mother, "her body already weakened through childbirth," 118 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,120 supporting the youngest child, a girl, 119 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,040 and trying to ease her pain. 120 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,320 And then, the very end, "the merchant," in his words, 121 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:02,200 resting on one arm, rising up out of the ashes 122 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,040 to try and protect and save his family. 123 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,640 He says that it's based on evidence, 124 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:16,760 but I cannot see from the information that I have available to me 125 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:21,200 what he bases this story on, and I think this is a real problem. 126 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:22,320 Can we have another one? 127 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:27,080 My aim is to actually strip away all the previous stories 128 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,920 and just give them back their lives and their stories. 129 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:35,200 And I do believe that that will impart a little more respect on them 130 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:37,840 as victims of a mass disaster. 131 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,680 NARRATOR: What Maiuri did, was in sync with the times. 132 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,560 The focus then was on creating an exhibit 133 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,480 to attract visitors. 134 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,360 Today, that focus has shifted. 135 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:56,440 Dr. Lazer's team hope to discover 136 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:58,800 who the Fugitives really were. 137 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:00,760 They're using x-rays 138 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,240 -to penetrate the plaster... -(camera beeps) 139 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:08,520 ...and 3D scanning to create digital replicas of each cast. 140 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:13,840 By placing these in a 3D model of the entire town, 141 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,720 the Fugitives can be seen in context. 142 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:20,280 They died by the city walls, 143 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,840 apparently so close to making their escape. 144 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:31,160 The early stages of the eruption scared most people away. 145 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,760 The mystery is why the Fugitives stayed behind. 146 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,680 Work begins on the victim that Maiuri described 147 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,680 as the head of the first family. 148 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:53,720 The Merchant. 149 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:03,880 (beeps) 150 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:07,600 DR. DZUNG VU: Skull base, pretty well preserved. 151 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:09,920 -MIDDLETON: Yes -LAZER: Look, it's got calvarium, 152 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:10,880 it's got everything. 153 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:13,440 Beautiful! Lots of bones inside. 154 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,360 This is a really nice skeleton. 155 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:18,960 We should be able to get quite a bit of information 156 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:20,320 out of it, don't you think? 157 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:23,920 NARRATOR: Beyond the 2,000-year-old bones, 158 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,880 the scans also reveal something more modern. 159 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:28,240 VU (off screen): Look at that! There! 160 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:29,760 LAZER (off screen): What do you think they've done in there? 161 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,840 -What's this? -MIDDLETON (off screen): Mmm. 162 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:34,720 He has a big metal hook in his head. 163 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:36,320 LAZER (off screen): Yes, we can see that. 164 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,280 -This huge lump of metal in there. -MIDDLETON (off screen): Yeah. 165 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:41,760 LAZER (off screen): There's a lot of funny wire, in there, isn't it? 166 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:42,800 -That's a weird wire. -VU: Yep. 167 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,200 But there's a nail and a rod holding the plaster of the upper limb, 168 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:47,400 to the rest of the body. 169 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,480 NARRATOR: This unexpected find shows that Maiuri went 170 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:55,560 to extraordinary lengths to preserve the Fugitives' final poses. 171 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,680 The challenge now is to look beyond these modifications 172 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:05,280 and focus on the bones themselves. 173 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,520 -LAZER: So this is the first x-ray. -KEVIN DICUS: This is iconic. 174 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,480 NARRATOR: To help assess the evidence, 175 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:14,160 Pompeii expert Kevin Dicus joins the team. 176 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:19,280 DICUS: It feels strange to shed these old stories 177 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:20,760 about these people 178 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:22,520 because they have been a part 179 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,520 of the modern history of Pompeii as an archaeological site. 180 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,520 But now we have the technology to actually go deeper, 181 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,680 literally deeper into the plaster 182 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:38,800 and I think we actually owe it to these people 183 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,240 to strip them of these modern narratives 184 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,200 and get it back to who they really were. 185 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,880 NARRATOR: After in-depth analysis of the x-rays, 186 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,320 subtle details emerge. 187 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:54,960 LAZER: We've got the frontal sinus, and it's well developed 188 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,360 so that's an indicator that we're looking at an adult. 189 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,760 The teeth are all erupted, the roots are fully formed, 190 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,000 so that's an adult dentition. 191 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:08,680 NARRATOR: Another x-ray shows a hand, 192 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,160 with the arm bones visible below it. 193 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:14,200 But between the hand and the arm, 194 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,160 the area containing the small bones of the wrist 195 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,920 has become abnormally compressed. 196 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:25,960 LAZER: We've got a case of quite severe osteoarthritis at the wrist. 197 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:29,840 Probably the cartilage has been lost, 198 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:34,440 and there's a likelihood that we've got bone rubbing against bone. 199 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,080 DICUS: Ooh. Be quite painful, I would imagine. 200 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:39,800 LAZER: So certainly they'd have pain, swelling, 201 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,920 some, p-possibly some weakness, 202 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,400 and I think it would be more likely 203 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,200 to be an older than younger individual. 204 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:54,480 We're starting to see a human being emerge from this cast, 205 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:57,960 which you know, people have often seen them as being more like statues... 206 00:12:58,040 --> 00:12:59,920 -DICUS: Absolutely. -LAZER: ...than individuals. 207 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,480 NARRATOR: As the team scan the rest of the cast, 208 00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:12,320 one last x-ray provides a clue about the Fugitive's final, 209 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:14,240 desperate moments. 210 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:15,760 VU: There's bone here. 211 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:17,600 LAZER (off screen): Ah, yes. 212 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:32,040 NARRATOR: In Pompeii, the forensic team is examining 213 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:34,800 the victim known as the Merchant. 214 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,880 VU: That one there must be broken. 215 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,800 NARRATOR: They've discovered this is an older individual 216 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:42,840 with signs of arthritis. 217 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:45,600 -VU: But funny bits of bones, too. -LAZER: Yeah. 218 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,960 NARRATOR: And the x-rays reveal one more intriguing clue. 219 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,280 LAZER: What we're looking at is the upper arm bone... 220 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,680 -and there are some breaks in it. -DICUS: Mm-hmm. 221 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:07,240 LAZER: So, there is evidence of post-mortem fractures 222 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:11,320 and peri-mortem, so those that happened at or around the time of death. 223 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:14,120 NARRATOR: At the top of the upper arm 224 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:16,440 is the rounded head of the humerus. 225 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:19,680 Cutting across it, barely visible, 226 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:21,400 is a hairline fracture, 227 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,600 possibly the result of a fall onto the arm. 228 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,720 LAZER: What that suggests is that this person experienced 229 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,640 something quite violent at or around the time of death. 230 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,640 DICUS: That really does say something if they're breaking arm bones. 231 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:37,680 LAZER: Yes. 232 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:50,800 NARRATOR: Volcanologist Kayla Iacovino is in a corner of Pompeii 233 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:52,320 that's still half buried, 234 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:57,920 to investigate how the eruption took its very first victims. 235 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,960 IACOVINO: So, we've just come up from main street. 236 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:12,160 And what we're looking at here is a wall of pumice stones. 237 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:18,160 So, these pumice stones would have rained down on the city of Pompeii 238 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,040 during the second phase of the eruption. 239 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,560 And as the magma is rising up to the surface, 240 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,280 you have so much energy, that here at Pompeii, 241 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:29,560 you were able to send stones like this over 30 kilometers 242 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,400 into the air, up into the atmosphere. 243 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,280 NARRATOR: High altitude winds dragged the mushroom cloud 244 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:38,720 across Pompeii. 245 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,360 Then gravity took over, and pumice began to rain down 246 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:44,960 on the town below. 247 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,360 IACOVINO: At this point, there's no escaping it anymore. 248 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:49,800 You're inside of the eruption. 249 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,720 So, you can imagine walking outside of your house 250 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,720 and seeing stones falling from the heavens. 251 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,920 So, while these things are sort of light and fluffy, 252 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,240 and a single one maybe hitting you on the head, 253 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,320 or even a few hitting you on the head, wouldn't kill you... 254 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:11,640 but when you have five meters of this pumice 255 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:13,520 sitting on top of a flat roof, 256 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:15,400 the roofs start to collapse. 257 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,640 And unfortunately for Pompeii, a lot of the people were killed 258 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,840 because those roofs collapsed on top of them, 259 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:24,240 because they decided to shelter in place. 260 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,320 NARRATOR: When archaeologists dug down through the pumice layers, 261 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,640 the remains of those that sheltered inside were still there. 262 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,200 The eruption's first victims. 263 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:43,320 Buried in loose pumice, 264 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,880 it wasn't possible to make casts of these bodies. 265 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:51,480 Only bones were retrieved. 266 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,000 The Fugitives, however, did not die inside. 267 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:02,960 Their bodies were found in a garden, 268 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:05,320 on top of the pumice. 269 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,440 They survived this part of the eruption. 270 00:17:10,120 --> 00:17:12,280 But they never left Pompeii. 271 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,160 Social scientist Robert Meyer 272 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:24,960 is an expert on the decisions we make 273 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:27,120 in the face of disaster. 274 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:29,240 (siren wailing) 275 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:31,480 MEYER: It's kind of useful to think through what exactly 276 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,040 is going through people's brains at the moment they feel 277 00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:36,000 that something bad is going to happen to them. 278 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,560 MAN (over radio): Mandatory evacuation, mandatory evacuation. 279 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,880 MEYER: And we're subject to a number of, 280 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,680 what are called cognitive biases or rules of thumb, 281 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,360 which normally work really well for us on a day-to-day basis 282 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:52,680 but when it comes to these very rare, 283 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,640 very, very dangerous sorts of events, can lead us astray. 284 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:01,480 PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: This storm is now designated a Category 5 hurricane. 285 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,880 We cannot stress enough the danger this poses to communities. 286 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,400 MEYER: In a period of intense threat, 287 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:09,920 one of the deepest instincts that we have 288 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,560 is to stay with things that are familiar. 289 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,160 So, safety is associated with the place that we live. 290 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:18,240 It's where all our possessions are. 291 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,040 PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I urge all citizens to put their own safety first, 292 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:23,680 by moving to safe ground. 293 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,440 MEYER: Sheltering in place may not be the best thing to do 294 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:28,640 but what are the alternatives. 295 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,320 And do I really think that running away outside 296 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:36,480 is necessarily going to be a safer option than it is to stay here? 297 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:41,200 And the more confused we get, 298 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:44,080 the more our brain is telling us, don't do anything. 299 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:45,720 REPORTER (over TV): Neighborhood that's completely underwater. 300 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:47,120 There's a couple of rooftops here. 301 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:49,560 MEYER: This is the thing we call the status quo bias. 302 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:52,080 REPORTER (over TV): Completely stranded, this is a family of five people. 303 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,000 MEYER: You end up with mental paralysis. 304 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:56,280 REPORTER (over TV): Just realized the gravity of the situation here. 305 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:58,440 MEYER: And in the face of paralysis, our instinct is 306 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:00,280 to not do anything and just stay. 307 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:09,440 NARRATOR: In Pompeii, everyone who stayed behind would perish. 308 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,600 Including the next targets of the investigation, 309 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:16,560 the very youngest in the group. 310 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:17,680 (camera beeps) 311 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,680 NARRATOR: As pumice rained down on Pompeii, 312 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:30,320 the Fugitives clung on. 313 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:33,600 For the youngest in the group, 314 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:37,040 it must have been a particularly terrifying ordeal. 315 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,960 According to the story created by Maiuri, 316 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:45,080 this was a farming family, 317 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,280 and the children were brothers, 318 00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:49,760 four or five years of age. 319 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:57,760 (indistinct chatter) 320 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:02,160 To make their own age estimates, 321 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,960 Dr. Lazer's team has a particular target in mind. 322 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,240 MIDDLETON: Teeth! Ah yeah, you can see it. 323 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,040 NARRATOR: Forensic dentist Alain Middleton 324 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:15,320 usually works on the victims of modern disasters 325 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:17,920 like air crashes and earthquakes. 326 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,680 But these 2,000-year-old teeth contain just as much information. 327 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,000 MIDDLETON: We've certainly got lots of molar teeth, 328 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:27,480 they're obviously fully erupted. 329 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:30,920 I mean, for instance this tooth here, the roots are fully formed. 330 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:32,440 LAZER (off screen): Means that we're not looking 331 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:34,360 at a really, really young child? 332 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:39,120 MIDDLETON: No, it's someone who's got fairly well-developed secondary teeth, 333 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:42,080 so probably looking at something around five plus. 334 00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:44,800 LAZER: Okay, this is number two. 335 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:51,720 (camera beeps) 336 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:54,880 MIDDLETON: So, teeth, you can definitely see teeth. 337 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:56,200 -LAZER: Oh yeah, lots. -MIDDLETON: Look at them. 338 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,360 They're primary teeth. But where are the secondary teeth? 339 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,560 That should make it easier to get an age estimate. 340 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:05,840 -LAZER: And you reckon it's... -MIDDLETON: And I-- 341 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:07,160 It would appear to be 342 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,000 probably a little bit younger than the previous one. 343 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:16,200 NARRATOR: On this, Maiuri's estimate of four or five years old was correct. 344 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,760 Young children, with everything in front of them. 345 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:27,960 For archaeologists like Kevin Dicus, 346 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,960 understanding what life was like for children here 347 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:32,280 is a challenge. 348 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:38,520 Across Pompeii, they seem almost invisible. 349 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,760 DICUS: Wow, what a house this is. 350 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:50,200 This is absolutely the house of a very wealthy, 351 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,440 influential aristocrat. 352 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,200 How often do you see an entirely mosaiced atrium? 353 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,040 We even have a mosaiced peacock, 354 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:08,480 a symbol of opulence. 355 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:11,560 It's beautiful... 356 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,520 everything suggests leisure, 357 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,480 suggests enjoyment of life. 358 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,160 (birds singing) 359 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:24,960 NARRATOR: Designed for entertaining guests, 360 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:26,360 this was an adult world. 361 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:34,600 Across Pompeii, there are no spaces dedicated to children. 362 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:39,200 To get into their world requires a closer look. 363 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:43,800 DICUS (off screen): A plaster wall can serve as a sort of canvas 364 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:48,240 for anybody to engrave names or figures or whatever they wanted. 365 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:51,840 Here we just have a series of lines, horizontal, diagonal-- 366 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:53,760 I can't identify anything here. 367 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:55,800 But I can identify something right here. 368 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,480 Always lower to the ground, 369 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,720 we can find stylized figures of animals or people. 370 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:04,560 Here we have an animal. 371 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:08,240 Here we have a very simple rectangle representing the torso 372 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,320 and a stylized head, here. 373 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:14,320 Down below, vertical lines representing the legs. 374 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:15,960 I'm not sure what sort of animal it is, 375 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,480 but it's definitely from the hand of a child. 376 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:28,480 NARRATOR: Kids' graffiti like this crops up all over Pompeii. 377 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:36,720 The wealthier children had other entertainment, too. 378 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,280 DR. GRETE STEFANI: In a monument at Porta Nocera necropolis, 379 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:53,640 I excavated a grave, and inside it I found 380 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,880 this collection of small animals 381 00:23:57,960 --> 00:23:59,160 made from bone. 382 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,600 It's a mother dog with her puppies 383 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:04,080 DICUS (in Italian): So lovely. 384 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,640 STEFANI: There were also some small animals 385 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,440 made from amber, like this cow 386 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:12,040 and a small amber soldier. 387 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:14,280 DICUS: Ah, si, si, si. 388 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:19,320 STEFANI: And also some tiny vases, like this. 389 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:23,040 Like all of these things, they were children's toys. 390 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:24,360 (Dicus speaking Italian) 391 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,000 DICUS (in Italian): So beautiful. 392 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,920 NARRATOR: Never before seen on television, 393 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,080 this collection was found in the tomb of a grown woman. 394 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:40,440 Objects so precious, that she had kept them her entire life. 395 00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:42,520 DICUS (off screen): It's incredible. 396 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:48,240 They're such a tangible reminder to us that in 79 AD, 397 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:51,320 there were children everywhere in the city of Pompeii. 398 00:24:57,120 --> 00:25:00,320 NARRATOR: According to Maiuri, the second family was made up 399 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,520 of a young farming couple and another child, 400 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,960 described as their slender and undernourished daughter. 401 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,200 VU (off screen): Go down the lowest you can get, right? 402 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,200 NARRATOR: Apparently a similar size to the other children, 403 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:25,040 this cast has a surprise in store for the team. 404 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:27,000 LUYCK (off screen): Ready. 405 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:30,720 LAZER: I'd say blitz it. 406 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:33,200 (camera beeps, shutter clicks) 407 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:46,240 NARRATOR: In Pompeii, forensic dentist Alain Middleton 408 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:50,200 is examining one of the smallest children in the Fugitives group. 409 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:54,440 MIDDLETON: Well, this is quite interesting, this view, 410 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:57,120 because we can see a jumble of teeth. 411 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:01,440 It's showing us in, right in the center of the picture there, 412 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:02,840 a lot of dental information... 413 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,160 And most of these teeth, the development of the roots is incomplete. 414 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,720 This is the second primary molar. 415 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:15,640 This tooth hasn't fully erupted. 416 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,880 This is a very good pointer as to the age of this individual. 417 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,080 It's definitely an infant. 418 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,720 Probably around about 12-14 months 419 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,040 through to about 15-16 months. 420 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,320 NARRATOR: The milk teeth emerge in stages 421 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:39,880 through early childhood. 422 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:44,760 A molar like this, still embedded in the bone and gum, 423 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:47,480 gives a reliable age estimate. 424 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,960 LAZER (off screen): That's amazing, because babies don't always survive 425 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,840 very well in the archaeological record. 426 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:00,640 The bones weren't recognized as a scientific resource 427 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:05,240 until relatively recently, so they weren't stored very carefully, 428 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,760 and infant bones are quite different looking to adult bones, 429 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:10,240 so it's quite possible 430 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:12,600 that they weren't even recognized as human. 431 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,280 This is a fantastic discovery. 432 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,880 NARRATOR: This is the youngest child to be identified by the team, 433 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:23,480 in Pompeii. 434 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:25,280 A remarkable discovery... 435 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,400 a child barely able to walk. 436 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,160 Dealing with an infant would have certainly slowed 437 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:38,640 the Fugitives down. 438 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,000 But they stuck together until the end. 439 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:52,480 MEYER: When a disaster occurs, some people will go rogue. 440 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:56,520 They'll act for themselves and run off. 441 00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:58,160 (speaking in foreign language) 442 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,320 But the greater norm is to go ahead and stay with the group. 443 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,480 There's a certain sense of emotional reassurance 444 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:12,200 of just being with others. 445 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:14,840 It's also the case we like to look after each other. 446 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:18,680 So, if we see an elderly person 447 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:20,920 or if we see a child, 448 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:24,080 our tendency is to, to wanna stay back and help them. 449 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,920 This instinct to stay with others is so, so powerful 450 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:32,480 that often, that trumps 451 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:35,560 our individual desires to survive by ourselves. 452 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,800 NARRATOR: The layers of pumice here are so thick 453 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,160 that volcanologists believe it kept falling right through the night. 454 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,480 (rumbling) 455 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:00,400 The Fugitives, found above these layers, 456 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,720 survived until morning, when a new threat emerged. 457 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,320 IACOVINO: What's really fascinating about this deposit in particular 458 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,440 is that you can put your finger on the exact moment 459 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,520 that the eruption switched from the pumice fallout phase 460 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,000 to the pyroclastic flow phase, just here. 461 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:23,800 Everything beneath this layer is pumice that had fallen from the sky. 462 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,400 This was that stuff that was raining out of a cloud 463 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:32,600 that had shot more than 30 kilometers above the summit of the volcano. 464 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,000 Once that pumice rained out, 465 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:38,680 that column began to collapse in on itself 466 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:43,200 gathering up and then shooting down the steep slopes. 467 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:46,400 NARRATOR: As the eruption lost power, 468 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,760 the central column gave way to gravity. 469 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:54,320 Clouds of ash and hot gas, known as pyroclastic flows, 470 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,880 raced down the flanks of Vesuvius at over 100 miles an hour. 471 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:02,000 IACOVINO: So you can imagine being someone in Pompeii 472 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:07,720 who had survived this disastrous downpour of pumice, 473 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:11,240 you're thinking maybe things are safe now and the eruption is over, 474 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:13,920 but things were actually about to get a whole lot worse. 475 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:31,080 NARRATOR: As pyroclastic flows raced down the flanks of Vesuvius, 476 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,520 time was almost up for anyone that had stayed in Pompeii. 477 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,960 Altogether, more than 80 victims of these flows are preserved in plaster. 478 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:44,960 -LUYCK: You're ready? -LAZER: Okay. 479 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,480 NARRATOR: Dr. Lazer plans to x-ray them all. 480 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:52,600 Including the casts on display at the entrance to the ruins. 481 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:55,720 -LAZER: So, left hand, please and-- -LUYCK: We will see what we get. 482 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:57,280 LAZER (off screen): Okay, thank you. 483 00:30:58,040 --> 00:30:59,040 (camera beeps) 484 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:02,760 LAZER: Oh, look. Oh, my god. 485 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:04,480 What's that there? 486 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:08,080 That doesn't look like bone at all. 487 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:10,480 LUYCK: It is metal. 488 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,200 LAZER: It's metal, for sure. 489 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:14,520 I think we need a clearer view of that. 490 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:18,640 Okay. 491 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,520 That's super clear now. Look at that. 492 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,040 That looks like a ring, doesn't it? 493 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:29,200 So, you can see that the metal has corroded. 494 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:32,600 But you can still see the form of the ring around the finger. 495 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,320 Yeah. That's fantastic. 496 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,240 NARRATOR: To find out what the ring could tell us about this victim, 497 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,920 Kevin has gained access to some of the valuables found 498 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,160 when Pompeii was excavated. 499 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:52,680 DICUS: We've got these beautiful gold chains... 500 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:55,760 gold earrings with pearl drops. 501 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:59,560 Many of these were found in association with the bodies. 502 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:05,640 We've got these beautiful examples of gold rings, set with gemstones. 503 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:12,280 Go down the line, we have silver examples. 504 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:14,160 This one exhibits a little bit of corrosion. 505 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:18,080 It's not quite as perfect as the gold rings. 506 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:20,000 When we start to get down the spectrum, 507 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:21,920 we see more and more corrosion. 508 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,480 We can take a look at the bronze ring here. 509 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:28,920 And of course, coming down here, the iron rings. 510 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:35,440 Ours, as it looks in the x-ray, exhibits a lot of corrosion. 511 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:39,320 So, we could say it's definitely not a gold ring. 512 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:43,360 It's perhaps an iron ring, or maybe even a silver ring. 513 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:48,680 NARRATOR: The metal of an oval setting is perfectly preserved, 514 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:51,520 suggesting the presence of a gemstone. 515 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:56,320 But the rest of the ring has clearly corroded over time. 516 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,360 DICUS: So, this is not an elite piece of jewelry, 517 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,280 it's not remarkably expensive. 518 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:05,120 But there is a gemstone set into it. 519 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:09,320 So it's not an incredibly humble model, 520 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:10,800 it still cost some money. 521 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:13,760 And it does say something about this person. 522 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:19,160 Maybe he is not an aristocrat, the wealthiest person 523 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:21,200 but he is trying to communicate something with this. 524 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:27,680 And for him this is a very, very personal piece of adornment. 525 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:33,720 NARRATOR: This ring was worn proudly until the day of the eruption... 526 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:39,840 when all of these valuables suddenly became worthless. 527 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,200 In the story created by Maiuri, 528 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:53,480 the third family in the group was led by a servant... 529 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:56,400 carrying a sack of provisions. 530 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:06,640 On the hunt for more artifacts, 531 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,720 it's an obvious target for the forensic team. 532 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,080 LUYCK: You have to go, like, that much deeper I think. 533 00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:13,520 What do you think, Julia? 534 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:15,880 On the right-hand side completely, yeah-- 535 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:17,200 LAZER (off screen): You can see where the lump is. 536 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:19,320 LUYCK (off screen): Yeah, we will start with the shoulder? 537 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,520 LAZER: Start with the shoulder and just work round, 538 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:23,800 and as many angles and as possible. 539 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:26,520 -LUYCK: One, two, three... -(camera beeps, shutter clicks) 540 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:31,320 -VU (off screen): Nothing-- -MIDDLETON (off screen): Nothing. 541 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:33,080 -It's just plaster. -VU: Nothing. 542 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:34,600 LAZER (off screen): And it's not there? 543 00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:35,560 LUYCK (off screen): It's not there. 544 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,440 NARRATOR: There's no sign of a sack, or provisions. 545 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:44,720 Nothing that matches Maiuri's suggestion that this was a servant. 546 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:49,160 LAZER (off screen): I think if you, the x-rays... 547 00:34:49,240 --> 00:34:50,960 DICUS: Wow, look at that. 548 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:53,320 NARRATOR: But further analysis of the skeleton 549 00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:57,080 does reveal something of this victim's true identity. 550 00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:00,880 LAZER: Unfortunately, there are no teeth 551 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:03,720 that could be studied in the skull 552 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:07,360 so our age estimate's purely on skeletal evidence. 553 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:10,200 And what we're looking at is the lower leg bone... 554 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,880 and the foot areas around the ankle. 555 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,040 -DICUS: Right. -LAZER: This is the growth plate 556 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:17,080 that hasn't yet closed. 557 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:22,080 So we're looking at someone possibly in their mid-teens. 558 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:23,280 DICUS (off screen): Wow! 559 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:27,520 NARRATOR: In adolescence, some of the bones are still 560 00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:29,640 in the process of fusing together. 561 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,680 The presence of this growth plate tells us the age 562 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,680 of this so-called servant when they died. 563 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:41,960 This teenager clearly contradicts one theory 564 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,200 about those who failed to escape. 565 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,720 DICUS (off screen): But this was sort of the legend of the victims 566 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:52,360 that's been circulated for so long is, 567 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:56,400 there's been a limitation or some reason why they were left behind, 568 00:35:56,480 --> 00:36:00,520 why they died, they were too young, too old, too infirm. 569 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,600 We're starting to get a sense that this actually really isn't the case. 570 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:07,920 LAZER: Mm, yeah, absolutely, I mean, we have a range of ages 571 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,680 so we do have very young individuals, 572 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:12,280 but we've also got older ones, 573 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:15,440 we've got people who are in their teens. 574 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:19,120 So, a good selection of the population. 575 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:20,840 DICUS: Right, right, suddenly we're not talking 576 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:26,120 about physical limitations as being the cause of these deaths. 577 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:31,560 It could be a multitude of reasons why they decided to stay back. 578 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,800 NARRATOR: To complete their work on the purported servant, 579 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,480 the team move on to the feet. 580 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,240 -LUYCK (off screen): Is that nails? -LAZER: Oh! 581 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:48,000 -VU: The metatarsal's there-- -LAZER: Oh! 582 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:49,000 Oh, my gosh. 583 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:52,040 You know what, I think you're right, they are nails. 584 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:53,800 So, they had shoes on, look at that! 585 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:54,960 LUYCK: It's part of a shoe, yeah. 586 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:56,760 LAZER: Wow, they're really good. 587 00:36:57,240 --> 00:36:59,080 VU: Seems to have two rows of nails... 588 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:00,800 -MIDDLETON: Yeah. -VU: ...parallel to each other 589 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:02,760 -LAZER: It's amazing-- -MIDDLETON: One, two... 590 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:06,000 three, four, five, six, seven... 591 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:11,680 NARRATOR: Clearly visible in the x-ray, these are hobnails, 592 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:15,160 from the sole of a practical and well-made sandal. 593 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:20,800 Hardly the footwear of someone Maiuri described as a lowly servant. 594 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:25,760 From a victim in the so-called Merchant's family, 595 00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:30,560 there's also a clue to how the Fugitive's final moments played out. 596 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:39,000 LAZER: Well, as you can see both the feet are together. 597 00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:40,080 DICUS: Mm-hmm. 598 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:44,840 LAZER: And what we can see is there's a cluster of metal nails 599 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:48,440 associated with the right foot, none with the left foot 600 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:52,480 so it looks like while they were fleeing they lost the left sandal. 601 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:53,560 DICUS: Oh. 602 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:59,800 LAZER: The idea that somebody's running away from a terrible fate 603 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:02,800 and they lose a shoe and they just keep going, 604 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:07,160 it's a very compelling image of people trying to escape 605 00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:09,080 literally the end of the world. 606 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:11,360 (rumbling) 607 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:24,880 NARRATOR: Just after dawn on the second day of the eruption, 608 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:29,560 a huge pyroclastic flow raced down the flanks of Vesuvius... 609 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:32,880 and tore through Pompeii. 610 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:40,920 The Fugitives were engulfed immediately. 611 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,360 To find out what happened to them, 612 00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:50,480 Kayla is examining three nearby victims 613 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:52,920 that were hit by the same flow. 614 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:00,800 IACOVINO (off screen): We got clues as to how these people would have died 615 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,160 based on the poses that the bodies are found in... 616 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:09,480 with the arms bent, pulled in tightly close to the body. 617 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:12,320 Here you can see the elbow bent 618 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:14,560 as if he's bringing his arm in 619 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:16,080 to protect his face. 620 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:17,600 That's kind of what it looks like, 621 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,440 as well his legs are bent, flexed at the knees. 622 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:22,080 So, we know from modern eruptions, 623 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:25,040 where pyroclastic flows have moved through villages 624 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:29,240 that the bodies end up in poses similar to what we see here in Pompeii. 625 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:30,840 (siren wailing) 626 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:32,800 (people shouting in foreign language) 627 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:36,760 NARRATOR: In 2018, a Guatemalan volcano called Fuego 628 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:40,160 produced devastating pyroclastic flows. 629 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:45,000 (men speaking in foreign language) 630 00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:46,520 (girl screams) 631 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,360 Bodies pulled from the ash were frozen in position, 632 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:56,240 with arms and legs bent inwards. 633 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:00,800 IACOVINO: A pyroclastic flow can be 200 or 300 degrees, 634 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:04,240 and that causes the muscles to dehydrate instantly, 635 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:07,280 causing them to then flex inward due to contraction, 636 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:10,680 and they end up in this pose, which we call a pugilistic attitude, 637 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:14,440 kind of like a boxer protecting his face with his, with his fists. 638 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:17,560 But it's really this action of the dehydration of the muscles 639 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,880 that's causing the body to contract and tense in this way. 640 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:25,000 So, they would have instantaneously swept up in this cloud. 641 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:27,960 Cooked in place by the hot gases. 642 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:40,480 NARRATOR: Of the Fugitives, a number of victims show similar poses. 643 00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:45,320 Contorted by the heat during their final, desperate moments. 644 00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:47,920 MEYER: These are people probably who should have left 645 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,600 many, many hours earlier. 646 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:50,720 They didn't. 647 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,680 And they were left behind, and they were kind of watching 648 00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:57,480 the world collapse around them. 649 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,560 And then ultimately this group decides, 650 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:04,320 look, our only chance for survival is we have to brave 651 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:05,640 the elements outside. 652 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,560 Of course, in this case what happened, it was really too late. 653 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:19,400 NARRATOR: What remains is a three-dimensional impression 654 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:22,600 of the moment the Fugitives died together. 655 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:24,880 MEYER: This is very rare. 656 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:26,840 We never really get to see people 657 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:29,240 in the moment of their last conscious thought. 658 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:36,800 In some cases, we spend that last moment trying to protect ourselves. 659 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:39,720 And in other cases, we go ahead and reach out 660 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:41,440 to someone who is close to us. 661 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:44,320 We see that incredible diversity here, 662 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:46,720 and in that sense it's a remarkable image. 663 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:50,360 NARRATOR: Before the investigation, 664 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,520 the Fugitives were known by the identities created 665 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:56,080 for them by Amedeo Maiuri. 666 00:41:58,600 --> 00:41:59,600 The Merchant... 667 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:04,920 The Farmer's Daughter... 668 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:09,800 and The Servant. 669 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:14,960 The team has found nothing to support these claims. 670 00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:18,520 But a new picture is emerging. 671 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:24,760 LAZER: We know the ages range from pretty young infants, 672 00:42:24,840 --> 00:42:27,280 through young childhood into the teen years 673 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:29,840 and right into older adult age. 674 00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:35,160 We know something about the health of the individuals. 675 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:41,480 So slowly, slowly we're learning about who these people were. 676 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,720 NARRATOR: By determining the age profile of the Fugitives, 677 00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:53,960 the team has also challenged another theory about Pompeii's victims, 678 00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:58,600 that they were too old, too young, 679 00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:00,800 or too infirm to escape. 680 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:04,720 DICUS: What we're seeing here is something very different. 681 00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:09,160 We're looking at a full range and really not one of them, 682 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:11,000 as I can see, 683 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:15,280 has a condition that would preclude them from escaping. 684 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:21,240 And so, it's something beyond physical that caused them to stay, 685 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:23,160 it was decisions. 686 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:29,960 And this is very important because they're not passive. 687 00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:32,240 They made decisions. 688 00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:35,600 It's a new way to look at these individuals. 689 00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:37,880 LAZER: And hopefully we've given back 690 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:40,200 a little bit of their lives to them. 691 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:41,400 DICUS: And a little bit of their voice. 692 00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:51,880 LAZER: And I guess in the first century AD, in Roman culture, 693 00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:53,600 to be remembered was very important. 694 00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:57,480 So, I think even though it was completely inadvertent 695 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:00,520 you know, their death in this horrible event 696 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:04,520 has led in some way towards making them immortal.