Changing interpation

Question 1

Herculaneum conservation project:

Answer 1

Cause for its installment: Man-made steel roof over Mosaic Atrium which had collapsed + natural wood flooding + corruption and legislation preventing conservation.

Method: Re-open latrine pits to improve drainage + stopped all excavation ‘to dig is to destroy’ + conservation efforts became autonomous from gov to deal with day-to-day issues

Effect: Discovery of 750 sacks of human waste in latrine pits such as ‘fish bones and olive pits’ + more funds going towards the site from Oxford university

After a decade:
All streets opened to public
Most buildings stabilized
Praise by UNESCO for conservation efforts.

Question 2

Swedish Pompeii project 2010:

Answer 2

Integration of 3D technology alongside fieldwork has facilitated the digital reconstruction of Caecilius Iucundus’ house -> found on youtube

Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) delineate specific architectural structures within the insula.

Goal: “combining technology and traditional methods to depict Pompeii with greater detail and accuracy”

Project is ongoing

Question 3

Philodemus Project 2010:

Answer 3

Digital examination of Papyri scrolls discovered in the cellar of the Papyri villa in Herculaneum

Previous attempts resulted in destruction of fading of ink

UCLA led project employed multispectral imagery to isolate the writing,

Veto Maslae utilized x-ray phase contrast tomography (XPTC) to detect variations in the carbon-based ink

Allow to study originals not replica

2024 saw the utilisation of machine learning (AI) -> reshaping perspectives

Question 4

X-ray and CT scans

Answer 4

X-ray & CT Scans conducted on plaster casts to create image of embedded bones (Provides more detailed/accurate information) - E.g Lady of Oplontis - MRI Scan on Epoxy resin cast provided new information on age, height, health and associated artefacts (e.g purse)

+ 86 other plastic casts which were uploaded to the public

Used CT found they must have had a low sugar, high fibre diet , however did not perfect dental health, disproving this myth was Estella Lazar and Sydney resarch team.

Apart of Great Pompeii project: Estella Lazar and Sydney team found modification to the plaster casts -> discovering that many early casts were devoided of skelton structures but were reinforced with metal rods and brackets, evident in the ‘begger’ casts

Question 5

Pompeii and Herculaneum quote about current conservation

Answer 5

In 2008, Pompeii’s antiquarian authorities declared a ‘state of emergency,’ citing numerous factors including corruption, vandalism, climate shifts, mismanagement, inadequate funding, and structural collapses exacerbated by heavy rains, as noted by Franz Lidz.

Question 6

Positives of tourism:
4 million annual visitors to Pompeii

Answer 6

Revenue - 100% of ticket goes into conservation —> 30 million euros a year
Prior to 1997 started making revenue off tourist

Stimulate local economy, generating employment in transport, small business and hotels

Benefits to cultural experience of all people, telling the history of early century roman lifestyle.

Question 7

Negatives of tourism:

Answer 7

Dr Estelle Lazar “Loved to death”

Pedestrian traffic damaging the entrance steps of the Temple of Apollo -> redirection of foot traffic (three different roots) + development of online 3d tours.

Unintentional and deliberate damage to the site (Graffiti and vandalism
Theft and basic littering)-> use of perplex glass
-> stealing of Mosiac tiles from House of the Anchor
-> Russian toruist in 2014 inscribing ‘k’ on a wall = 2000 dollar fine

Photography - light deteriorating of Frescos -> creation of better signs + added security.

Lack of on-sight of tourism, not charging tourist due to understaffed -> creation of better signs + added security.
-> allows people to steal