What are the people in the excavation in Pompeii looking for?

Question

Are the people looking for anything in Pompeii?

Answer 1

My understanding is that the bodies are not actually preserved. Rather, they were covered in a very thick layer of ash. Over time, the organic material in their bodies decomposed and left hollow spaces in the ground. Archaeologists today look for these hollows, fill them with plaster and form casts of the bodies that were buried. In the nearby town of Herculaneum everything was covered with hot mud rather than ash. This actually preserved a lot of the organic material, and visitors today can see ropes and wood furniture that maintained their form under the mud.

If you actually visit Pompeii today, most of the work that is being done is preservation rather than excavation. They are looking for ways to keep everything in good condition despite now being exposed to the sun, air and masses of tourists. For photos from my recent trip to both Pompeii and Herculaneum see the link below.

Answer 2

Jetgirly is absolutely correct.

The city of Pompeii was covered in ash, and the bodies decomposed leaving hollow "molds". What you see there today are statues which were formed out of those molds.

In Ercolano (herculaneum) many of the skeletons were preserved due to their being covered in clay mud.

Answer 3

Pompeii actually froze the inhabitants of the village as they were when it exploded. They're still looking for artifacts and possibly more mummified and preserved bodies.( By mummified I mean covered in ash.)