Overview
- Pompeii Archaeological Park reported that CT and X-ray imaging with 3D and AI analysis point to one Garden of the Fugitives victim being a medicus, or Roman doctor.
- The scans showed a small organic case with metal fittings and a toothed-wheel lock that held a slate tablet for mixing remedies and several tiny metal tools thought to be surgical instruments.
- A fabric bag with bronze and silver coins was also preserved in the cast, and the park director said the man likely kept his tools to restart his life or to help others.
- The work builds on a decade of cast restoration that used CT to survey dozens of figures and revealed earlier aesthetic changes such as reshaped forms and added metal supports.
- Researchers plan a virtual reconstruction of the toolkit based on the scan data, which could guide non-destructive studies of the roughly 104 body casts at Pompeii.