ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of a study in progress of the people of Herculaneum, a unique Roman period population. 139 individuals have been studied. There are 45 more skeletons exposed and waiting to be excavated, preserved, and studied. It is certain that many more are waiting in the unexcavated chambers and adjacent areas of the beach. In the spring of 1982, a large number of skeletons were discovered on the ancient beach front and in adjacent chambers. The skeletons were in good to excellent condition, because they had been in an unchanging environment in terms of temperature and humidity. Some of the observations and measurements that can be made of skeletal material give anthropologists insight into the health and nutrition of a population. Important indicators of health and nutrition are the relative flattening of long hones and the pelvis.
