A fascinating study by the renowned archaeologist and director of the Pompeii excavations, Giuseppe Fiorelli (Naples, 1823–1896). Fiorelli was a central figure in 19th-century Italian archaeology, his name primarily linked to the excavations of Pompeii. Appointed director in 1860, he introduced modern and systematic excavation criteria, which still form the basis of the site's organization today. He is renowned for his invention of the plaster cast technique, which allowed for the restoration of the forms of the victims of the 79 AD eruption. A promoter of scientific dissemination and the opening of the excavations to the public, Fiorelli made a decisive contribution to the birth of modern archaeology and the valorization of the national archaeological heritage.