“They ate better than we did.” Scans reveal Pompeii victims’ health.

TheLocal.it looks at the petrified remains of Ancient Roman volcano victims:

A recently launched project that is performing CAT scans on the remains of Pompeii victims contained within plaster casts has revealed that good health was widespread among people of the ancient city.

“For sure, they ate better than we did,” orthodontist Elisa Vanacore said during a press conference in Pompeii on Tuesday, after analyzing some of the initial results.

“They have really good teeth – they ate a diet that contained few sugars, and was high in fruit and vegetables,” she added….

The archaeological superintendent of Pompeii, Massimo Osanna, was quick to underscore the importance of the interdisciplinary project, which will see archaeologists working alongside computer engineers, radiologists and orthodontists.

Unfortunately, the machine only allows casts of a 70cm diameter to enter – so parts of the more portly residents of Pompeii will remain a mystery – although their heads and chests will be scanned as much as possible.