‘Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead’ is a Hidden Nerdy Gem on Disney+

Slipped in between the likes of The Mandalorian and Hamilton, Disney+ has some surprisingly niche documentaries for a decidedly grown-up audience. Sure there’s the Oscar-winning Free Solo and a bevy of adorable nature docs, but there’s also some darker fare. Namely, Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead. The hour-long doc is a must-watch for classical history nerds and forensics fanatics alike as it debunks some of the most persistent myths about the ancient disaster with science.

Pompeii has become shorthand for one of the greatest volcanic disasters in history. The Roman city was a bastion of wealth before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried it under ash, which ironically helped preserve the city for future archaeologists. In the last century, interest in the city has often focused on a collection of plaster-preserved corpses known as “the Fugitives.” Italian archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri presented these figures to the world and ascribed backstories to each of them, thus giving tourists flocking to the excavation site a human connection to the victims.

As Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead points out, though, Maiuri was kind of full of shit.

Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead follows a contemporary investigation of the Fugitives. Using state-of-the-art technology, experts were able to x-ray the plaster corpses to get a look at the preserved skeletons and accessories the Fugitives were wearing. While conventional wisdom was that these people must have been infirm, feeble, or too young to escape the disaster, the x-rays revealed a different story. In fact, they revealed that the figures varied in age, gender, and possible class. Not only that, but the way the bodies are lain doesn’t have anything to do with the victims’ final moments, as a volcanic eruption expert explains steam will compress a human’s body.

Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead is a refreshingly modern history doc. Rather than lean into sentimental storylines or dramatic reenactments, the documentary focuses on cold, hard fact. Moreover, it’s gorgeously shot and a feast for the eyes.  For history nerds, it’s exactly the kind of doc we need to see more of on TV: totally invested in challenging preconceptions and proving theories with fact.

And it’s on Disney+??? Win, win.

Where to stream Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead