Limitations, reliability and evaluation of sources

Question 1

Public and Private architectural structures and spaces: How much of P and H has been excavated?

Answer 1

2/3 of P excavated, only about 4 blocks for H with rest hidden under modern town Resina.

Question 2

Public and Private architectural structures and spaces: why does the few public buildings and spaces in H and no forum as in P mean?

Answer 2

limiting evidence to understand political and commercial life in H.

Question 3

Public and Private architectural structures and spaces: stealing/looting/lack of documentation?

Answer 3

• much of archeology discovered has disappeared forever and many of 800 houses and 600 shops/workshops excavated not subject to serious study.
• without knowledge of artefacts, decorations and epigraphy associated with buildings, many removed or stolen without any record of their context = hard to deduce such things as ownership, function of room, standard of living and status of ppl who used building.

Question 4

Public and Private architectural structures and spaces: what is there no evidence to check against or not enough?

Answer 4

literary evidence

Question 5

Public and Private architectural structures and spaces: early archeologists problems?
Quote evidence

Answer 5

didn’t know how to properly analyse architecture of private structures.
Dorothea Castell “we are missing most of the factors to create an overall picture.”

Question 6

Written sources: for Pliny the Younger letter to tacitus?

Answer 6

not written until 25 years later and his eyewitness account was from Misenum (132km away) - stages of eruption described by Pliny have been verified in 20th C by Haraldur Sigurosson’s analysis of P ash deposit

Question 7

Written sources: limitations and reliability?

Answer 7

• graffiti provides personal views but reliability problematic
• no personal writings (letter, poems, stories/lists) found on either site.
• gaps in written record

Question 8

Archeology: what has occurred due to the antiquarian approach to site from time of discovery?

Answer 8

led to loss of artefacts and damage to buildings

no systematic approach to excavation until Fiorelli.

Question 9

Archeology: Conservation?

Answer 9

haphazard approach to conserv. until 1970s.
inadequacy of restoration technique result in damage of site.
Admin/financial limitations or suspected corruption relating to restoration programs caused damage to some buildings and artefacts.

Question 10

Archeology: examination of eruptions?

Answer 10

no systematic examination and analysis of stratigraphy to understand the eruption and effect until sigurosson.

Question 11

Archeology: human remains?

Answer 11

human remains, especially bones, not seen as valuable in analysis until 1980s