Italian Ministry of CultureThe new AI rendering of a man killed in Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E.Some 2,000 years ago, Mount Vesuvius erupted with terrifying force, raining ash and debris down upon the Roman city of Pompeii. One local man attempting to flee then raced toward the coast and tried to protect himself by holding a terracotta mortar over his head. Tragically, he perished but now, archaeologists have just recreated his final moments using artificial intelligence.The A.I. Reconstruction Of A Pompeii Victims Final MomentsAccording to a statement from the Italian Ministry of Culture, the A.I. rendering of the Pompeii victim was made after the discovery of his body in the Porta Stabia necropolis, just outside of the citys walls. He was found alongside another skeleton, and archaeologists believe that both men were attempting to reach the beach during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.Italian Ministry of CultureThe recently discovered Pompeii victim who was found alongside the terracotta mortar he used to protect himself from falling volcanic debris.The reconstructed man, the older of the two, seemingly died first on the day of the eruption (likely August 24). He was found near a fractured terracotta mortar, which he presumably used to try to protect himself from the shower of lapilli stones made from solidified lava droplets that rained down on Pompeii. The man was also found with a small iron ring, ten bronze coins, and a ceramic lamp, which he likely needed to navigate the darkness that had descended upon the city.Archaeologists believe that he was killed by the lapilli, as the fractures on the terracotta mortar found near his body suggest that he was pummeled by volcanic debris. His final moments were reconstructed by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and the University of Padua in order to produce a scientifically sound yet accessible image that could make the results of archaeological research more accessible to a non-specialist audience.Italian Ministry of CultureA closer look at the skeleton of the Pompeii man whose final moments were recently reconstructed with the use of artificial intelligence.The man of Pompeii fled with a mortar on his head, a lamp in his hand, and ten coins: he carried whatever he thought was useful for orienting himself in the darkness, said Professor Luciano Floridi of the Digital Ethics Center at Yale. Two thousand years later, AI is helping us reconstruct his last moments AI does not replace the archaeologist. Under its control, it expands and deepens his potential; and makes accessible to many what was previously accessible only to a few.Indeed, archaeologists are hopeful that artificial intelligence can offer a new perspective on the destruction of Pompeii, one of the most devastating natural disasters in world history.How The Eruption Of Mount Vesuvius Destroyed Pompeii In 79 C.E.The eruption of Mount Vesuvius took place in 79 C.E. Its long been believed that the volcano erupted in August, but evidence in recent years has also suggested that it could have erupted in the autumn.It spewed a huge cloud of pumice and ash nine miles into the atmosphere and, by 1 p.m., a cloud of thick ash blocked out the Sun and began to fall on the city like heavy snow. Then, volcanic debris like the kind that killed the newly-reconstructed Pompeii victim began to rain down on the city.This first wave of destruction killed many, but the eruption of Mount Vesuvius soon grew even worse. That night, hot ash and gas poured down the side of the mountain, followed by a second wave of volcanic mud and rock. Many people in the nearby town of Herculaneum were burned or suffocated to death, their city buried by the volcanic debris.Then, the next morning, a pyroclastic flow a mix of lava, volcanic ash, and hot gas that can move as fast as 200 miles per hour smashed into Pompeii, killing anyone left in the city. This is what killed the second, younger man, who was found alongside the reconstructed Pompeii victim.Public DomainThe Last Day Of Pompeii by 19th-century painter Karl Bryullov.Over the last 2,000 years, the dramatic destruction of Pompeii has been depicted in books, paintings, and operas. Now, A.I. may provide another way to view and understand this horrific episode of destruction.If used well, AI can contribute to a renewal of classical studies, narrating the classical world in a more immersive way, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, remarked in the ministry statement. [R]econstructions help us involve more people in this adventure.After reading about the A.I. reconstruction of a Pompeii victim, look through this chilling gallery of Pompeii bodies frozen in time. Then, peruse this surprising collection of Roman graffiti found amid the Pompeii ruins, as well as this gallery of Pompeii frescoes.The post Researchers Just Used A.I. To Reconstruct The Face Of A Pompeii Victim For The First Time Ever appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Today, the Lower East Side of New York City is a trendy neighborhood, filled with popular bars and restaurants. But more than a century ago, it was the heart of the citys tenement housing. For decades, poor New Yorkers most of whom were immigrants lived in cramped and often unsanitary tenement apartments.These apartments were small, sometimes just 325 square feet, and yet could contain as many as 10 people. Whats more, tenement dwellers often didnt have access to running water, and frequently shared just a few outdoor toilets. Tenements werent legally required to have windows for decades, and these cramped conditions lead to the proliferation of disease.By 1900, 2.3 million people, a full two thirds of New York Citys population, lived in tenement housing. Take a look in the gallery below to see what life was like in New Yorks tenements, then read on to learn more.Click here to view slideshowThe Spread Of New York City TenementsBetween 1800 to 1880, the population of New York City doubled every 20 years. In the 1840s, it grew by 60 percent, from 312,710 inhabitants to 515,547 inhabitants. In the 1850s, it soared up to 813,669 inhabitants, per PBS.Most of this growth was driven by immigration. Irish citizens fleeing the Irish Potato Famine came to New York in great numbers, as did German immigrants fleeing the Revolution of 1848. (In fact, so many German immigrants arrived in New York in the mid-19th century that a swath of the East Village became known as Kleindeutschland, or "Little Germany.")German Consulate General New York/FacebookA family of German immigrants arriving in New York City circa 1860.Indeed, many of these immigrants settled in the Lower East Side, just as the affluent New Yorkers who had dwelt there before began to move further uptown. Immigrants (and poor New Yorkers) moved into housing that had been built for single families, but which was quickly modified to contain as many people as possible. Walls were put up to create new rooms, extra stories were added, and "rear tenements" were even built into backyards.This created cramped, dark, dense conditions rife with disease. Yet millions of people would live in New York's tenement housing into the 20th century. Life Inside New York City's Tenement HousingNew York Public LibraryA bustling scene on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side, taken by the New York City Tenement House Department. Circa 1902-1914.By 1900, some 2.3 million people two-thirds of New York City's population at the time were living in tenement housing, mainly concentrated in Manhattan's Lower East Side. According to the Tenement Museum, it was common for a family of 10 people to live in a space of just 325 square feet or an apartment roughly half the size of a subway car.Rents in tenement housing could vary. The Tenement Museum also reports that a ground-floor unit in one tenement in 1900 was rented for $12 to $13 a month (roughly $500 today), whereas a fourth-floor unit in the same building was rented for $9.50 to $10 a month (roughly $400 today). Back then, street-level apartments were the most desireable and thus charged more.Regardless of the rent or level, however, many tenements were unpleasant places to live.Not only were inhabitants crowded into tiny, shared spaces, but many tenement buildings lacked windows or access to fresh air. What's more, tenement dwellers had no private toilets or running water; they often shared outhouses and spigots in their building's backyard. This, of course, made it challenging for tenants to cook, do laundry, and clean. And it made it easy for diseases like cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis to spread. Indeed, it was no secret that life in the tenements was grim. In 1843, the Association for Improving the Conditions of the Poor described tenements as, "generally defective in size, arrangement, supplies of water, warmth, and ventilation; also the yards, sinks, and sewage are in bad conditions."But it would take time for significant reform.The Reform Of Tenement Housing In New YorkIn 1865, the "Report of the Council of hygiene and public health of the Citizens' Association of New York upon the sanitary condition of the city" was published. According to the New York Public Library, it found that more than 65 percent of the city's population lived in "substandard" housing conditions. Indeed, some 500,000 people were estimated to live in New York tenements that year, a huge swath of the city's roughly 900,000 residents.New York Public LibraryThree people, one of whom seems to be collecting water, stand in front of a row of outhouses in a tenement backyard. Circa 1902-1914.The report was followed by the Tenement House Act of 1867, which declared that tenement buildings must be equipped with fire escapes, and that tenements needed to have windows in each room. It also mandated that one toilet must be provided for every 20 residents.However, these regulations were not immediately enforced. Meanwhile, the conditions in the tenements had also caught the eye of writer and photographer Jacob Riis. While working as a police reporter, Riis had frequently encountered the grim conditions of New York tenements. He photographed what he saw, and published his pictures in "How the Other Half Lives" in 1890.His photos were especially stark, given that the upper echelons of the city were enjoying the affluence of the Gilded Age. Jacob Riis/Wikimedia CommonsStreet children sleeping on a grate for warmth on Mulberry Street. Circa 1890-1895.More and more attention was being paid to tenements, and further reforms followed. The Tenement House Act of 1901 pushed hard for improved sanitary conditions, fire escapes, and access to light, and more or less banned the practice of building tenements on tiny, cramped 25-foot lots. In the aftermath, "old" tenements were updated, and "new" tenements were built with these new building codes in mind.Ultimately, things in the city began to change. "Slum clearance" policies in the 20th century eventually tore down many tenements, just as the government began introducing "public housing" projects. The first of these housing projects in New York City opened in 1935, in the East Village, where developers first destroyed a set of old tenement housing.As any New Yorker will tell you, housing continues to be a challenge in the city today. But thanks to 20th century reforms, apartments in New York City have more windows (and more toilets), and are generally safer, brighter, and healthier places to live. Such conditions were out of reach for many people living in tenements in the 19th and 20th century.After learning about the New York City tenements of 19th and 20th centuries, take a look at some striking Ellis Island immigration photos. Then, read up on the Bloody Angle, the spot right in the heart of New York's tenement zone that also became one of the deadliest streets in the city.The post The History Of New Yorks Tenements, The Citys Run-Down Housing For Millions Of Impoverished Immigrants In The Early 20th Century appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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