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Pompeii and Herculaneum
1. Geographical Context
Syllabus
Point
Content Sources/
EvidenceThe
physical
environme
nt: the
geographic
al setting,
natural
featuresand
resources
of Pompeii
and
Herculane
um
Located in Campania in southern taly. The area had
very fertile soils due to !esuvius and this "as good
for gro"ing crops and #reeding animals. $oth to"ns
"ere near the sea "hich facilitated trade "ith other
parts of the %editerranean. &esources include olives
used to ma'e oil, grapes used to ma'e "ine( volcanic
material) pumice "as used for the #uilding of roads
and houses. *ther resources include +sh, "ool andcrops.
Pliny the lder
"rote of the
physical
attri#utes of
Campania and
resources.
Plans and
streetscap
es ofPompeii
and
Herculane
um
The to"n of Pompeii is small #y &oman standards,
covering an area of -- hectares. t "as heavily
inuenced #y Gree' principles of ur#an planning and"as made up of insulae( #loc's "hich contained
houses. /ome only contained one house "hile others
contained a do0en or more houses. &omans
legislated that streets had to #e a minimum of
metres "ide. 2t Pompeii most streets conformed to
this la", ho"ever at Herculaneum some streets "ere
only 3.m "ide. 4ecumani "ere roads that ran from
east to "est and Cardines "ere roads that ran from
north to south and met at right angles. /tepping
stones provided for pedestrian use "hile still giving
access to "heeled tra5c. n this "ay Pompeiians
could cross the roads "ithout stepping in the
se"erage that overo"ed the gutters "hen it rained.
3. The nature of sources and evidence
/ylla#usPoint
Content /ources6 vidence
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The range
of
availa#le
sources,
#oth"ritten
and
archaeolo
gical,
including
ancient
"riters,
o5cial
inscriptio
ns,
gra5ti,
"all
paintings,
statues,
mosaics,
human
andanimal
remains
Human remains: /'eletal remains, #ones and
casts are a valua#le source of information a#out
victims. 7e can in8uire into the victim9s sex,
age, appearance, height, health, diet, occupation
and cause of death. /'eletons are preserved ingood condition due to #eing covered under
pumice and ash. 2rchaeologist /ara $isel
excavated and studied s'eletons found on the
#each at Herculaneum. /he assessed their
health and clothing and made calculated
assumptions on "hat their role may have #een
in society. The average male from Herculaneum
"as 1-cm tall and the average female "as
1cm tall. %ost had good teeth "ith an average
of three cavities each, caused #y the grit in the
#read. They had a "ell) #alanced diet and "ere
on the "hole "ell) nourished. They ate a lot of
seafood "hich is rich in uoride and accounts for
the healthy teeth. /ome had high levels of lead
in their #ones #ut it "as not caused #y simply
drin'ing the "ater. 2nimals have #een preserved
in casts indicating that the people ate or farmedthese.
Ancient writers: 4io Cassius "rites a#out the
eruption #ased on the account of people living
around aples. /ome of the things he says seem
far) fetched li'e people gathered in masses in
the theatre. Pliny the ;ounger "rote of his
experience running a"ay from the eruption
years after it happened and he has ta'en on a
mythical context, dramatising the scene. /eneca
descri#ed various aspects of the city.
Ofcial inscriptions: provide evidence for the
structure of government, prominent families and
+nancial contri#utions to construction of pu#lic
#uildings.
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Grafti: Propaganda messages to urge citi0ens
to vote for a particular candidate. /ome also
promoted gladiators. *ther topics include #ars,
love, and recreation and advertising "omen in#rothels. Gra5ti "as an accepted practice in
Pompeii and Herculaneum. There is an issue "ith
+guring out the dates that the gra5ti "as
inscri#ed. The countless num#er of inscriptions
sho" that Pompeii "as a literate society. Gra5ti
sho"s that #y advertising and promoting a
candidate for o5ce a client) patron relationship
"as esta#lished.
Statues/ Sculptures: 7ere a useful indicator of
social status( due to their "orth, religion and
prominent people.
all Paintin!s and mosaics: Give evidence
a#out culture, inuences and values.
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stayed outdoors died of asphyxiation as they
#reathed in very +ne ash "hich formed a stic'y
paste in their lungs. n Herculaneum, people died
of the follo"ing causes. They "ere engulfed #y a
pyroclastic o" "hich travelled at FAA'm anhour. The high temperatures caused their #rains
to #oil and their #odies vaporised, #ecoming
s'eletons immediately. The lac' of oxygen
caused items and human and animal remains to
#e car#onised and preserved.
"as a#out FA 'm
a#ove the earth.
The
economy:
trade,
commerc
e,
industries
,
occupatio
ns
"rade: Pompeii and Herculaneum "ere smallplaces and therefore had small local economies.2s they "ere near a port, trade "as a#undant.
The har#or "as #usy "ith ships, sailors andforeign merchants. %erchants came from allacross Campania on mar'et days to sell theirmanufactured merchandise. The most "ell)'no"n exports "ere "ine, olive oil, garum sauceand "ool. Pompeii imported products fromplaces such as /pain, other parts of taly, Gauland Greece. *ccupations include agricultural"or'ers, #a'ers, #an'ers, doctors, +shermen,gladiators and actors, prostitutes, s'illed artisans
and tavern6#ar >caupona6themopolium?operators. Herculaneum "as a 8uiet to"n ofupper class citi0ens "ho "ere served #y lo"erclass citi0ens.
The fullery of
/tephanus and
umachias "ool
store house in the
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Commerce: -AA
privately o"ned
shops, "or'shops,
#ars, taverns and
inns have #eenexcavated. Private
houses often had a
front room used as a
ta#erna9 i.e. a
tavern./ocial
structure:
men,
"omen,
freedmen,
slaves
The highest class in &oman society "ere the
no#ility. They held o5ce in positions such as
senators, magistrates, duumviri and aediles. The
next class "ere the e8uestrians or #usiness
people "ho "ere tax collectors, #an'ers, miners
and exporters and also #uilt roads and
a8ueducts. The mass of the people "ere the
Ple#eians "ho had a range of occupations.
$elo" them "ere the freedmen. Their status "as
lo" and they could not hold o5ce although some
"ere "ealthy. The lo"est class "ere slaves. The
pater familias "as the head of the house andhad every authority over his children and "ife
including life and death. 7omen could not hold
o5ce or vote and "ere not considered citi0ens.
7omen in Pompeii had to #e dependent and
lin'ed to a close male relative or hus#and. They
could not vote or ta'e part in politics and "ere
restricted from ma'ing independent decisions,
for example #usiness decisions, #ut evidence
suggests that they actively too' part in pu#lic
life. %any "omen "or'ed in conBunction "ith
their hus#ands or found "ays to gain inuence
or independence "ithout a male. They could o"n
and operate taverns, inns and #ars. 7ealthy
"omen could fund #uilding proBects or donate to
the council in order to gain recognition and
status( ho"ever they had no say in ho" the
money "as used. They could #uy, sell and leaseproperty #ut "ere not allo"ed to #ecome
The "omen9s seats
in the amphitheatre
highlight their lo"
status as they "ere
only permitted to sit
right at the #ac'(
even #ehind the
slaves
Gra5ti in front of
houses and shops
a#out upcomingelections "as often
done #y "omen,
highlighting their
interest in pu#lic life.
=ulia
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#an'ers. Priestesses "ere the most inuential
"omen. 2 "oman could only operate
independently, for example in #usiness or trade,
if she "as "ido"ed.
upper class family.
/he donated money
to the council and
"as recognised in
inscriptions.Local
political
life
The 2ediles >3? "ere responsi#le for the
maintenance of streets, roads and pu#lic
#uildings and the supervision of the mar'et.
They "ere also responsi#le for the Budicial
system and games and pu#lic entertainment.
The o5ce a#ove them "as the duumviri >3?.
They carried out the decrees of the 4ecurion
council, administered local +nance and handled
local la" cases. $oth magistrates held their
position for one year and then there "ould #e
another election. They "ere normally "ealthy
and funded proBects "ith their o"n money to
ma'e themselves or their families 'no"n.
4ecision ma'ing "as assisted #y a council of
1AA mainly ex magistrates. ;oung men #egan
their political career path cursus honorum9 #y
#ecoming priests and participating in politicallife to #ecome 'no"n. The Comitium "as the
people9s assem#ly9 "here adult men and
freedmen elected magistrates and voted
honours. The ordo decurionum met in the Curia
and made la"s "hich "ere carried out #y
magistrates.veryday
life:
leisure
activities,
food and
dining,
clothing,
health,
#aths,
"ater
supplyand
Pompeii and Herculaneum had a technologically
advanced method of water supply consisting of
a8ueducts. 7ater "as derived from the 2r8uaro
/prings and #rought in #y the /erinium
a8ueduct. t "as then distri#uted #y the
Castellum 28uae "hich divided the "ater into
the three lead pipes to provide for diEerent
areas of the city. The Castellum Plum#eum "as a
lead pillar that acted as a pressure top and
ensured e8ual "ater pressure so that it could
reach "ater fountains, latrines, #aths andhouses. The "ater also o"ed to secondary
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sanitation tan's of "hich 1@ have #een found. Pompeians
did not have to go more than A metres to
collect "ater from a fountain. xcess "ater ran
do"n the street and cleared ru##ish. The
"ealthy could have "ater connected to theirhouses for a fee.
Clot#in!) 7e only 'no" a#out clothing from
artistic depictions ho"ever this not "hat "as
"orn in everyday life. The toga "as a ceremonial
out+t "orn #y men and stola "as the ceremonial
out+t of "omen. These restricted movement so
in everyday life a short tunic "as "orn #y men.
8uestrians had purple stripes on their tunic and
their "idth sho"ed their ran'. Ple#eians and
slaves "ore a similar tunic made of courser "ool.
$at#s "ere a popular place to sociali0e, #athe,exercise, get massages, conduct #usiness andengage prostitutes. Apodyterium: changingroom. Palaestra: exercise area. Trepidarium:warm room. Calidarium: hot room, Frigidarium:cold room.$aths include the /ta#ian #aths and
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temples,
forum,
theatres,
palaestra,
amphitheatres
activities too' place. mpressive pu#lic #uildings
served to reinforce the progressive nature of the
&omans. The temple o' (upiter or Capitolium
"as dedicated to =upiter, =uno and %inerva. The
)acellum or mar'et place "as "here +shproduce "as sold as "ell as other agricultural
goods. The )ensa Ponderaria "as a pu#lic
measuring ta#le "here the "eights and
measures used in shops and mar'ets "ere
chec'ed. The "emple o' t#e %aires housed
statues of the royal family and the "emple o'
*espasian "as #uilt #y the priestess %amia as
a tri#ute to the city. "#e $uildin! o'
Eumac#ia, "hich "as constructed #y the
priestess umachia could have #een used as a
mar'et for "oollen cloth or a more civic purpose
as a meeting place. The $asilica housed the la"
courts of Pompeii. The interior "as decorated
"ith imitation mar#le and had gra5ti on it.
Pu#lic toilets or Latrines9 "ere also included in
the
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houses,
shops
rooms of the house "hich opened up onto the
street "ere used as shops. Houses "ere
designed to provide maximum security and
privacy from the noise of the city and so had
thic' "alls and heavy doors. They loo'ed in"ardto a courtyard rather than out"ard to the street.
Houses of the "ealthy had a door from the street
"hich opened into a narro" hall"ay. 2n entrance
hall called the atrium contained the household
shrine >lalarium?. n the oor of the atrium
directly #elo" the compluvium, an opening in
the ceiling that let in light and air "as a
rectangular pool called the impluvium. This
collected rain "ater from the roof. The "ater
then piped oE to the houses "ater storage tan'
>cistern?. The reception room >ta#linum? "as
"here the head of the house received clients
and other visitors. The house included an inner
courtyard called the peristyle and one or t"o
dining rooms. $edrooms >cu#icula? "ere small
and usually "indo"less. There "as a familyroom >oecus? and a small 'itchen "ith Bust
enough room for an oven, a #ench and a sin'.
!illas "ere #uilt in the countryside outside the
to"ns and along the coast outside of
Herculaneum. They had terraces, verandas,
pergolas and "indo"s loo'ing out to the sea.
They "ere summer holiday retreats for the
"ealthy.
ot all people lived in spacious homes. There
"ere many small family houses "hich consisted
of cramped living 8uarters a#ove shops and
"or'shops. 2fter the 24-3 earth8ua'e some of
the larger houses had #een divided into small
ats. There are examples of cheap and rushed
repairs and renovations. There "ere many largeapartment #loc's providing lo" cost housing in
for its #eautiful
murals depicting the
cult of 4ionysus. t
has -A rooms. The
!illa of Papyri hadela#orate fountains
and statues and the
greatest collection of
ancient #ron0es ever
to #e found. The
most precious +nd in
this villa "as the
li#rary of papyri.
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&ome in the +rst century 24, some "ith up to
storeys. There is evidence for an apartment
#uilding in Herculaneum that is more than 1F
metres tall.
nuenceof Gree'
and
gyptian
culture:
art,
architectu
re,
religion
Gree' and gyptian inuence "as an integralpart of art, architecture and religion in Pompeii
and Herculaneum. The Gree' language "as a
sign of education for the &omans. Gree' culture
predated Latin culture in southern taly. This
meant that there "as preference for Gree'
artistic styles and religion and art often depicted
Gree' and gyptian su#Bect matter. The &omans
adopted Gree' stoa >long columned #uildings?
and the diEerent styles of columns >onic,
Corinthian and 4oric?. *ther features of Gree'
architecture include the peristyle >courtyard? in
temples. &eligion that "as adopted from Greece
includes the cult of 4ionysus and the &oman
adaptation of the Gree' Pantheon >family of
gods?. The name Herculaneum possi#ly derived
from the Gree' god Hercules and it "as #elieved
that he had once spent time in the city.
gyptian inuence "as due to its introduction to
the &oman mpire in F1$C, although trade and
cultural lin's #et"een Pompeii and 2lexandria
has existed since the 3nd century $C. The cult of
sis "as a maBor cult in Pompeii and
Herculaneum. The House of =ulia gens? "as
"orshipped and
associated "ith
peace and good
fortune. 2fter his
death the "orship of
each emperor "as
oEered as part of
the state cult.
&eligion:temples,
The &oman9s "orshipped their o"n version ofthe Gree' Pantheon as "ell as other imported
Temple sacri+cesand votive oEerings
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househol
d gods,
foreign
cults,
tom#s
cults. Hercules "as also "orshipped and a
num#er of statues of Hercules have #een found
in Herculaneum #ut a temple has not #een found
yet.
,orei!n cults: 4ionysus "as the Gree' god of
fertility and divine intoxication. He oEered
devotees a state of ecstasy that came from
intoxication #y the God and "as associated "ith
a lac' of restraint. *ne message of the cult "as
that the natural passions had to #e
ac'no"ledged for a human society to #e sta#le
and #alanced.
The cult of sis "as one of the most popular
cults. 7orshippers "ere mostly "omen, slaves,
freedmen, traders, soldiers and later as the cult
#ecame more popular, o5cials. sis "as 'no"n
for her healing po"ers, displayed "hen she
#rought her hus#and *siris #ac' to life after he
had #een 'illed and cut up into pieces #y his
#rother. /he found parts of his #ody all overgypt and pieced these parts to resurrect him.
/ince she didn9t +nd his penis she fashioned a
ne" one from dirt and #y this means #ecame
pregnant "ith his child Horus. The +nding of
*siris #ecame a sym#ol of resurrection and "as
lin'ed to the rising of the sun and to the rene"al
of the "orld through the seasons. n ovem#er
at the
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"ashing of the statue of the goddess. n the
afternoon there "as a special #lessing and
puri+cation "ith ile "ater 'ept in a tan'. There
is no direct evidence of a temple of sis at
Herculaneum #ut the num#er of sis)
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household shrines suggests that sacri+ces "ere
performed on a domestic scale. The
neigh#ourhood sacri+ced at cross roads or
altars.
ritualistic dance. t is
suggested that cult
o#Bects and their
placement indicate
the "orship of/a#a0ius. T"o right
hands made from
#ron0e are
interpreted as ritual
hands that "ere
used in a rite of
divination. n the
palm of the hand is
a seated +gure of
/a#a0ius. He "ears
clothes associated
"ith Phrygia. He is
standing on a ram9s
head and is near a
sna'e, #oth of "hich
are his sym#ols.
House#old
reli!ion: *ne
"ooden example of
a shrine of the Lares
has survived in a
car#oni0ed state in
the House of the
$lac' /alon at
Herculaneum. 2
cavity in the ground
has #een excavated
and appears to store
the #one remains
left over from
sacri+ce. $ones of
lam#s and coc'erels
indicate sacri+cialanimals.
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F. nvestigating, reconstructing and preserving the past
Syllabus
Point
Content Sources/
EvidenceChanging
methods
and
contri#ution
s of
nineteenth
and
t"entieth
century
archaeologis
ts to our
understandi
ng of
Pompeii and
Herculaneu
m
arly archaeologists laid out the platform for further
research on Pompeii and Herculaneum. Their
innovations allo"ed for the discovery of more
advanced preservation and reconstruction methods.
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into a crisis after the earth8ua'e of 24-3, resulting
in the patricians leaving the city and leaving lo"er
classes to da##le in politics. He uncovered many
signi+cant #uildings such as The House of %enander
and many more. He deepened excavations atsigni+cant locations to investigate pre) &oman levels
and restored the tri#unal of the #asilica and roofs of
houses. He also studied the structure of "alls and
to"ers.
&uggerio is also a prominent +gure and "as
responsi#le for the consolidation and restoration of
over -AA paintings from the House of the /ilver
7edding and the House of the $alcony.Changing
interpretatio
ns: impact
of ne"
research
and
technologies
e" technologies and techni8ues give
archaeologists ne" perspectives that challenge
previous interpretations. n the last @A years there
has #een little ne" excavation in Pompeii and eEorts
have #een concentrated of preservation. %uch of
archaeology is no" carried out in the la#oratory,
instead of on the site, and tiny fragments of pollen,
charcoal and su#stances found in containers revealthings a#out Pompeii. /ome of the recent research
done in an 2pplied &esearch La#oratory includes a
study of contents in Bars and a geomorphologic
reconstruction of the !esuvian area #efore the 24DI
eruption.
2ustralian archaeologist, Penelope 2llison,
investigated the remains of houses in order to reveal
the domestic lives of the people in Pompeii.
2rchaeologist 7ilhelmina =ashems'i made an
extensive study on gardens, orchards and vineyards
in Pompeii. /he is credited "ith creating a ne" +eld
in archaeology: the investigation of ancient gardens.
Her research is credited "ith revealing information
a#out diet and trade.
stelle La0er used techni8ues of forensic medicine
2spects of
everyday life
such as the
function of
homes, food
and gardens
reveal
informationa#out health,
culture, trade.
tc.
2llison studied
the location of
everyday
artefacts and
furniture "ithin
ordinary
households in
order to
interpret the
room9s
function. The
changed
interpretationgained from
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and physical anthropology to determine gender, age,
height, signs of disease and population
characteristics. /he "or'ed on a sample of
disarticulated #ones stored in the /arno and
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poured plaster
over
car#onised tree
roots, vines
and pollenfound in the
ash to reveal
the fruit and
vegeta#les
gro"n in
Campania. /he
discovered a
large
commercial
vineyard, near
the
amphitheatre
"hich provides
evidence
regarding
trade, leisure
>as it "as neara commercial
place? and diet.
Ho"ever this
has not #een
investigated
yet.ssues of
conservatio
n and
reconstructi
on: talian
and
international
contri#ution
s and
responsi#iliti
es( impactof tourism
Environmental 'actors cause issues of
conservation. 7eeds hasten the decay of the site #y
pushing crac's open and penetrating plaster
surfaces. Poor drainage results in fungi that erode
the oors of the #uildings.
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Poor -uality restoration wor. is caused #y a lac'
of organisation and a lac' of consulting
archaeologists. KConservation is an experimental
science says 2ndre" 7allace Hadrill. Mr#an andinfrastructural planning near#y causes the
movement of the earth "hich aEects the ancient
structures. &estoration "or' is done #y +rms "ith
little specialised 'no"ledge, often chosen "ith the
aim of doing the cheapest Bo# possi#le and up
'eeping the site temporarily for tourists.
Conservators do last minute repairs instead of
systematic maintenance to prevent sudden
collapses. *ften structures #uilt to protect sites
actually damage them. The tim#er roof erected on
the House of %eleager in Pompeii could not support
the "eight of the tiles. t collapsed, ta'ing "ith it
parts of the #uilding. %any frescoes have #een left in
the sun and have faded completely. The poor
drainage system means that "ater erodes #uildings
and oor mosaics. The "rong choice of modern
materials "hich are unsuita#le to sustain the sitecause more damage than protection. /teel and
concrete have #een used together. 7here the
concrete has a'ed a"ay, the exposed steel has
rusted and expanded, ma'ing crac's in the #uilding.
The poor 8uality mortar over the ancient stone"or'
has caused it to decay and the salts that modern
concrete, plaster or mortar contain also do damage.
7hole paintings have #een destroyed due to
attempts to stic' them #ac' on the "alls using a ne"
mortar. The old and ne" mortars resulted in a
chemical reaction causing the paintings to crac'.
&esin varnish and "ax coatings have #een used in
an attempt to protect frescoes #ut instead they have
sealed the painting against the damp and salt
#uilding up #ehind the plaster.
"#e mana!ement o' tourists and protection'rom t#e eapolitan )a0a are issues regarding
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the conservation of the site. The %a+a often corrupt
"or'ers in order to steal from the site and sell on the
#lac' mar'et. Tourists oEer #ri#es to custodians to
#e allo"ed into closed areas and cause further
erosion of the site. Pompeii and Herculaneum have#een su#Bect to looting since the earliest excavations
and many artefacts are in private collections. n
1IIA a store room "as ro##ed at Herculaneum and
more than 3A artefacts "ere ta'en including the
gold Be"ellery "orn #y the &ing Lady9. t is thought
that there "as #lac'mailing #et"een the eapolitan
%a+a and the "or'ers and directors of the site for
this to happen. There is no re8uirement for tourists
to chec' in large #ags #efore entering, therefore
providing ideal conditions for theft. There aren9t
enough guards to stop tourists from entering closed
areas or clim#ing ruins, leaving the site su#Bect to
negligent #ehaviour. The lac' of educational
information in the area means tourists do not
respect or appreciate "hat they are loo'ing at. They
often lean or sit on structures or thro" "ater on
frescoes to see them clearer. They also may samplepieces of the site "hich is detrimental due to the
large num#er of tourists that do this. 4ogs cause
damage to the site #ut have no" #een removed.
o"adays maps and audio guides have #een
included in a feat to help visitors appreciate the
artefacts. Closer monitoring of conservation resulted
in the head of a construction company #eing
arrested for violating the terms of an earlier
preservation proBect "ith the aim of maximising
costs. o"adays there are random inspections to
ma'e sure local %a+a has not strong) armed its "ay
into restoration "or'. The custodians have #een
reprimanded for as'ing tourists for money to sho"
them areas closed to the pu#lic.
"#e 0!#t between t#ose w#o want to modi'y
t#e ancient city 'or tourism purposes andt#ose w#o want to preserve it in its aut#entic
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state is a conservation issue. n 3A1A a
commissioner "ith po"ers to su#vert #ureaucracy
"as placed under investigation on suspicion of using
state money for proBects that "ent #eyond
maintenance, li'e renovating an old theatre forperformances. This "as done 8uic'ly "ithout
consulting archaeologists and this theatre is used for
performances to this day. %oney is #eing invested to
glamori0e the city for tourism purposes and this
reconstruction alters it from its original state, posing
threats to the integrity of the site. 2n example of this
is the hologram of tour "here =ulius Poly#ius, a
no#leman of 2ncient Pompeii, guides visitors around
a F4 virtual version of his villa. There are constant
collapses due to #uildings that receive no or little
maintenance #ecause they are not main tourist
attractions. Tourists are important #ecause of the
revenue they #ring #ut that may #e at the cost of
the integrity and condition of the site. The daily
tra5c of people causes streets to erode and too
much human contact "ith the structures causes
damage.
Throughout the years there have #een many proBects
initiated #y international partners "hich have helped
"ith the preservation of the site. 1nternational
contributions include a N1FD million eEort #y the
European 2nion "hich aims to #alance preserving
the authenticity of the site "ith accessi#ility to
tourists. The Houses in Pompeii3 Pro4ect
investigated #uildings "hich had #een excavated #ut
had not #een recorded. The 1nsula o' )enander
pro4ect "as a three stage analysis and
documentation of a "hole insula "hich aimed to
address de+ciencies in earlier records conducted #y
%aiuri. There "ere three stages put in place to
determine architecture, interior decoration and the
examination of loose +nds. 2rchitects and drafts
people analysed surviving structures, archaeologistsdated "alls and oors and experts in "all) painting,
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mosaics and pottery studied loose +nds and
decorations. "#e Pompeian ,orum pro4ect,
other"ise 'no"n as the Porta Stabia pro4ect is
dependent on advanced technology, particularly
computer science and is ongoing to this day. TheproBect "as initiated #ecause the existing
architectural plans for the
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study and
display of
human
remains
of monuments and sites. Mnaccepta#le conduct
includes the practice of posing s'eletons for
dramatic aEect. n %aiuri9s time, a pile of s'eletons
"ere glued together and portrayed to the "orld as if
they had #een found li'e that. This "as done fortourism purposes and "as eventually revealed #y
stelle La0er in the 1IIA9s. /ome #ones "ere also
found to #e fa'es and La0er discovered that
s'eletons had #een put together in inaccurate "ays,
for example "ith t"o left thigh #ones. These 'inds of
practices demean the historical value of the site and
promote false information.
The nternational Council of %useums does not #an
human remains #ut rather encourages sensitivity to
community reactions. There are some religions
"hich are against the display of human remains. n
taly the display of human remains is a long tradition
as the #odies of saints and martyrs have #een
displayed this "ay for hundreds of years, so this is
not an issue.
There is the ethical argument a#out human remains
#eing displayed "here they "ere found or in a
museum. $odies are displayed in Pompeii9s Garden
of the
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important to 'eep information authentic and
availa#le to avoid corruption and misinformation.