Pompeii Casts. Victim 2. Found 5th or 6th February 1863 in Vicolo degli Scheletri.

Victim 2 is an adult over 20 years of age, but the sex has not been determined.

The body was found on the 6th of February 1863.

Said to be found with casts numbered 1 and 3, a small distance from cast number 4.

The location of the other three victims found near no. 2 was not precisely reported, but it is understood that it was the same place as victim 3.

In particular, victims 2 and 3 were 10 palms (about 2.5m) from the corner of insulae 10 and 13 of Regio VII where lay victim 1.

In fact, no. 4 was located about 25m from the other three bodies.

Traces of clothing were not found. However, Settembrini (1863) reports the presence of a band on the chest.

See Osanna, N., Capurso, A., e Masseroli, S. M., 2021. I Calchi di Pompei da Giuseppe Fiorelli ad oggi: Studi e Ricerche del PAP 46, p. 318-320, Calco n. 2.

Victims 2 and 3. Note that the date of the find is given as 5th Feb 1863. G Sommer photo no. 1242. Photo courtesy of Eugene Dwyer.

In his description of these plaster-casts in his Guida di Pompei, 1877, Fiorelli described –

“Two women [nos. 2 and 3], one next to the other. The older resting on her side; the younger face down, with her face in her arm.

(Reg.VII, Insula XIV, via quarta).”

See Fiorelli, Guida di Pompei, [Rome, 1877,] p.88-89.

See Dwyer, E., 2010. Pompeii’s Living Statues. Ann Arbor: Univ of Michigan Press, (p.94).

The sex of victim 2 and victim 3 is not definable.

See Osanna, N., Capurso, A., e Masseroli, S. M., 2021. I Calchi di Pompei da Giuseppe Fiorelli ad oggi: Studi e Ricerche del PAP 46, p. 319, Calco n. 2, p. 323, Calco n. 3.

Victims 2 and 3. Note: the date found is quoted as 5th Feb 1863. G. Sommer and E. Behles, stereoview no. 356, 1867–1874.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Plaster-casts of victims 2 and 3, photographed on an upper floor (possibly from VII.6.7), looking north towards Vicolo di Modesto and Vesuvius.

Centre-left can be seen the rebuilt School of Archaeology on Via Consolare. Photo courtesy of Eugene Dwyer.

Victims 2 and 3, photograph taken by Brogi (no. 5578) in a display case in the museum. Photo courtesy of Eugene Dwyer.

According to Dwyer –

“Errors crept into the Museum, as the contents were frequently moved to make room for new castings.

On one Brogi photograph (no. 5578), the casts of the two women, numbers 2 and 3, are described as “Body of man and boy”.

See Dwyer, E., 2010. Pompeii’s Living Statues. Ann Arbor: Univ of Michigan Press, (p.108).

The sex of victim 2 and victim 3 is not definable.

See Osanna, N., Capurso, A., e Masseroli, S. M., 2021. I Calchi di Pompei da Giuseppe Fiorelli ad oggi: Studi e Ricerche del PAP 46, p. 319, Calco n. 2, p. 323, Calco n. 3.

Victims 2 and 3 in upper picture and victim number 1 in lower picture.

See Niccolini F, 1862. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompei: Volume Secondo. Napoli, Descrizione Generale, Tav. XVIII.

VII.1.47 Pompeii. March 2017. Room 8, looking across plaster-casts towards window in east wall.

Plaster-cast of victim 2 can be seen in the lower part of the photograph.

The fractured remains were badly hit by the 1943 bombing of the Antiquarium.

In this photo, victim 2 is seen lying with the head to the right, whereas in the Sommer and Behles photo, above, victim 2 is lying with the head to the left.

They were found in the Vicolo degli Scheletri.

VII.1.47 Pompeii. March 2017. Room 8, looking across plaster-casts towards window in east wall.

The plaster-cast of victim 2 can be seen in the lower right. Photo courtesy Adrian Hielscher.