Issues of Conservation and Reconstruction

Question 1

Conservation

Definition

Answer 1

The action of prolonging the existence of significant objects, covering all actions aimed at safeguarding historical objects and collections.

Question 2

Preservation

Definition

Answer 2

All actions taken to maintain an object in its existing condition, minimise the rate of change, and slow down further deterioration and/or prevent damage

Question 3

Restoration

Definition

Answer 3

Actions taken to modify the existing material and structure of an object in order to return it to a known earlier condition, eg as new, or original.

Question 4

Tourism

Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum

Answer 4

2.5 million people visit Pompeii per year

• Paths not paved with stone are worn down (e.g. footpath along Via dell’Abbondanza is now same level as the road)
• Ancient lead water pipes exposed
• Litter attracts rodents to the site

Question 5

Vegetation

Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum

Answer 5

Over 30 different species of weeds

• Destroyed an estimated thousands of square metres of floor surfaces
• Microbiological infestations in areas of poor drainage

Question 6

Exposure to the Natural Elements

Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum

Answer 6

• Exposure to sun and rain has faded frescoes, especially in the past 40 years
• Maria Paola Guidobaldi states that pigeons peck at beams/doors/windows and have acidic droppings that damage wall paintings

Question 7

Theft/Vandalism

Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum

Answer 7

• 1986: Henri de Sain-Blanquet described tourists pushing over stone columns
• 1975-2000: Over 600 items were stolen
• 1975: Museum closed due to theft
• 1977: 14 frescoes were cut from walls
• 1993: David Mellor described a woman banging her fist on a painted wall
• 1994: Heads were cut off plaster casts

Tiles, pieces of painted plaster and pottery are picked up by tourists everyday.

Each year, people scratch names and messages onto walls.

Question 8

Earthquakes/Eruption

Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum

Answer 8

Vesuvius has erupted 70 times since 79AD.

• Seismic activity shakes the foundations of buildings, damaging them

Question 9

Poor Site Management

Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum

Answer 9

• No existing requirements for visitors to check in large bags → theft, damage etc.
• No vigilant guards or guides to stop people entering closed areas

Question 10

Restoration Work

Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum

Answer 10

Incorrect contruction methods used:

• New timber roof on the House of Meleager could not support the weight of the tiles
• New steel roof over the glassed loggia of the House of the Atrium collapsed
• Steel reinforcing beams used with concrete causes steel to rust and concrete to flake
• Poor quality mortar allows water and vegetation in
• Carbonsied wooden ceiling joints were not stabilised and are now crumbling

Question 11

World Heritage Listing

Answer 11

In 1977, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis were named World Heritage sites for “provid[ing] a complete and vivid picture of society and daily life at a specific moment in the past that is without parallel anywhere in the world.”

Question 12

Herculaneum Conservation Project

Answer 12

Established by David Packard in 2001

More than 15 million euros were invested in the first 10 years.

Aim: To support the local heritage authority in its conservation of the Herculaneum site.

• Slow the rate of decay
• Implement long-term conservation strategies
• Provide basis of knowledge and documentation
• Acquire new archaeological knowledge
• Conserve, document, publish and improve access to artefacts

Considered a model of best practice for conservation

Question 13

HCP Results

Answer 13

• 80% of unsafe roofing has been repaired or substituted
• The primary ancient drainage netwrok has been reinstated for collecting and draining water
• Insula Orientalis II has had a second floor latrine in the apartment block revealed
• House of the Telephus Relief has been reconstructed
• House of the Gem
• Layout of the Basilica Noniana
• Statue head of an Amazon
• Vegetation removed from Cardo III, Decumanus Maximus, and the ancient shoreline

Question 14

Great Pompeii Project

Answer 14

A partnership between the European Union (EU) and the Italian government to spend 105 million euros on the site by December 2013.

Aims:

• Consolidate the at-risk structures of the site
• Construct a drainage system
• Restore decorated surfaces and masonry
• Strengthen video surveillance
• Protect buildings from weather exposure

Question 15

Pompeii Sustainable Presevation Project (PSPP)

Answer 15

Inspired by the success of the HCP, an international consortium of research institutions launched a 10-year project in 2012 to study long-term strategies for Pompeii.

Unlike the government funded GPP, it is based on private fundraising.

The first phase will focus on the Porta Nocera necropolis, and will last 5 years with 6 million euros.

Question 16

Collapse of the Schola Armaturarum (House of the Gladiators)

Answer 16

The collapse in 2010 earned worldwide attention.

It was a result of water damage and poor previous reconstruction work.

UNESCO and ICOMOS visited in 2011 and wrote a report about everything that went wrong.

Question 17

How to Structure a Response (for this dot point)

Answer 17

Intro

• If necessary, make a judgement about how successful preservation and conservation has been.

Italian Contributions (issues + steps taken)

Herculaneum (Italian + International)

• Organisations/Projects
• Examples of improvements

Pompeii (Italian + International)

• Organisations/Projects
• Examples of improvements

Question 18

Kress Pompeii Conservation Project

Answer 18

Established by the World Monuments Fund.

Focus of establishing new standards in site conservation and presentation

Question 19

Contributions of the Kress Pompeii Conservation Project

Answer 19

• Several buildings within Insula V2 have been restored and conserved to one day present.
• Conservators, Paolo Marconi and Antonio Pugliano, are developing a structural stabilisation plan, including replacing the roof and developing a laminated wood structure.
• Worked on the House of the Silver Wedding Anniversary

Question 20

Pompeii Forum Project

Answer 20

Established by the University of Virginia and the National Enodwment for Humanities.

Focus:

• Under the impression that Pompeii is the centre of seismic activity and may undergo more damage in future, Pompeii is being documented through accurate plans, elevations, large-format black-and-white photographs, and computer models of the standing remains.
• Encourage discussions of Pompeian urbanism among scholars throughout the world.
• Collaborators wish to interpret the data from Pompeii in a wider urbanistic context that has applications to contemporary problems.

Question 21

Contributions of the Pompeii Forum Project

Answer 21

• Extensive excavations have revealed insights into the city’s early history through several periods, including Samnite, Sullan and Augustan.
• Surveying, photography and computer technologies have been used to document the structures in high detail.
• Comprehensive monographs are aiming to be published to contribute to the scholarly record and public knowledge.
• Structural reinforcements have been established to secure the stability and longevity of the insulae and other buildings.
• Video surveillance has been strengthened to monitor to site from theft and vandalism

Question 22

Oplontis Project

Answer 22

Established by the University of Texas and Italian Ministry of Culture.

Focus to conduct a multidisciplinary study of Villa A (“of Poppaea”) and Villa B (“of Lucius Crassius Tertius”) at Oplontis.