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A description of how and why ideas about the cause of death of the victims killed in Pompeii by Vesuvius in 79 AD have changed over time, and as a result of new analyses of existing evidence. The cast of a man responsible for transporting goods through the city using a mule is observed. He appears to be crouching and protecting his mouth and nose with his hands, leading scientists to initially conclude that the victims died from suffocation as a result of the fine ash. However, many casts show a ‘puglistic attitude’ as if they were fighting off an attacker.

Dr Peter Baxter from the University of Cambridge explains how this is caused during instant death from intense heat, as the muscles coagulate and shorten. This is consistent with modern theories about Vesuvius erupting with a succession of pyroclastic currents. The clip finishes by raising the question of why the victims’ clothes remained intact and were not destroyed by the intense heat.