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24 Nov

In light of the discovery of the two bodies at the villa at Civita Giuliana, we look at the process involved in excavating, recording & casting them.
Volcanic ash from the eruption compacted & hardened around everything it covered. It’s in this layer of ash that voids are found.

Scraping the surface of the ash reveals a small hole indicating a void is beneath.
The voids are created in the ash as organic material decomposes over time leaving a complete mould in the form of what was once inside: in this case the forms of 2 humans lying in supine positions.

Advances in technology now allow for the exploration and documentation of the cavity before it is cast. Endoscopic analysis permitted the gathering of information and recorded the position of the bones and a 3D scan of the void was made.

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Pompeii Sites

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17 Nov

Pompeii may be temporarily closed but it is possible to visit the Stabian Baths virtually. The main entrance is on the via dell’Abbondanza and passing through the foyer, where in Roman times you may have had to pay an admission fee, you enter into a large colonnaded courtyard.

Opposite is the entrance to the women’s bath complex. On the left are a swimming pool and a room for changing and cleaning after exercise in the courtyard’s gymnasium that is decorated with a painted stucco relief. Following the portico to the right we enter the men’s baths.

As our eyes adjust to the darkness in the vestibule we can look up at the ceiling and admire its magnificent painted stucco relief. Beyond, we see the apodyterium (changing room) and the niches where clothes were left. The plunge pool of the frigidarium (cold bath) is on the left

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Pompeii Sites

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12 Nov

With just the façade of this house excavated in 1913, we still only have a tantalising glimpse as to its owner: M. Fabius Ululitremulus. He owned a fullonica (tannery) and the playful and brightly coloured chess board decoration may hint at his sense of fun. #ThrowbackThursday

There is a graffito on the façade and it is a word play on the first line of Aeneid: ‘Fullones ululamque cano, non arma virumque’ (translation: I sing of fullers and an owl, not of arms and a man). The word for owl in Latin is ‘ulula’ so it is a pun on Ululitremulus’ name.

An owl appears in a fresco advertising Ululitremulus’ fullery where they would have treated garments with sulphur. The owl is associated with Goddess Minerva who was the patron of the fullers and in addition owls are apotropaic; warding against the evil eye so bringing good luck.

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Pompeii Sites

@pompeii_sites

5 Nov

The Forum in Pompeii, the civic centre of the ancient city, is instantly recognisable with its large open space surrounded by temples, civic buildings and market places but here are some things you may not know about it…

The Forum of Pompeii was one of the great archaeological discoveries made during French rule in the early 19th century. Excavations began in the south by the Basilica in 1812 but only on May 22nd 1813 was the area officially identified as the Forum.

The buildings on the Forum were badly damaged in the AD63 earthquake and many had been rebuilt or were undergoing redesign at the time of the AD79 eruption. The effect of the earthquake in the Forum was depicted in a relief on a household shrine in the House of Caecilius Iucundus

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Pompeii Sites

@pompeii_sites

30 Oct

Just as in Roman times, this time of year sees the harvest of grapes in the vineyards of #Pompeii for wine production. To celebrate we will take you from the ‘harvest to the hangover’ through the archaeological evidence.

A fresco from the House of Centenary shows how widespread grape growing was. The slopes of Vesuvius are covered in a lattice of wooden vine frames called ‘vitis compluviata’. Meanwhile, Bacchus (God of wine) in his grape suit pours a libation & his leopard laps up the stray drops

Once harvested, the grapes could be served to eat but most were pressed and the wine transported in amphorae. Pompeii storerooms are full of such amphorae. Some had a label – ‘titulus pictus’ – revealing their contents or recipient as in the case of Sextus Pompeius Amarantus.

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