With the unification of Italy in 1860 however, work began to proceed more regularly. Giuseppe Fiorelli, who was in charge of the excavations and the museum at Pompeii from 1860 to 1875, instituted sweeping changes in the way excavations at the site of Pompeii were conducted. Fiorelli was able to work in a scientific method that yielded a more accurate interpretation of the city by moving systematically through the site and excavating each area completely before moving on, rather than jumping from place to place in search of treasure as excavators before him had done. It was under Fiorelli’s direction that the site was divided into regions and insulae, a classification system that remains in use to this day.

Fiorelli is perhaps most famous for producing the first casts of the bodies of the victims of Vesuvius. It had been noticed that there were cavities in the ground around some of the skeletal remains, forming what was essentially a naturally occurring mold after the soft tissue of the bodies decayed. Fiorelli ordered work to be halted when excavators came across these voids, and liquid gesso was poured into the hole. After a day, the gesso had hardened and the area around this fresh plaster cast could be chipped away. The first casts were attempted in 1863 with varying success, but soon the procedure was perfected and the casting process became a common activity. In addition to the human and animal victims of Vesuvius, casts were also made of wooden artifacts, such as doors and chests, as well as plants and trees. The casts of the victims served to popularize Pompeii even further and were circulated widely in the media of the day.

Rediscovery and Early Excavations
Excavations in the 20th Century