Reconstructing and Conserving the Past: Italian and International Conservation Efforts Flashcards
Conservation
Definition
The action of prolonging the existence of significant objects, covering all actions aimed at safeguarding historical objects and collections.
Preservation
Definition
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
Restoration
Definition
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.
Tourism
Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum
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
Vegetation
Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum
Over 30 different species of weeds
- Destroyed an estimated thousands of square metres of floor surfaces
- Microbiological infestations in areas of poor drainage
Exposure to the Natural Elements
Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum
- 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
Theft/Vandalism
Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum
- 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.
Earthquakes/Eruption
Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum
Vesuvius has erupted 70 times since 79AD.
- Seismic activity shakes the foundations of buildings, damaging them
Poor Site Management
Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum
- No existing requirements for visitors to check in large bags → theft, damage etc.
- No vigilant guards or guides to stop people entering closed areas
Restoration Work
Problems Facing Pompeii and Herculaneum
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
World Heritage Listing
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.”
Herculaneum Conservation Project
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
HCP Results
- 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
Great Pompeii Project
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
Pompeii Sustainable Preservation Project (PSPP)
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.
Collapse of the Schola Armaturarum (House of the Gladiators)
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.
How to Structure a Response (for this dot point)
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
Kress Pompeii Conservation Project
Established by the World Monuments Fund.
Focus of establishing new standards in site conservation and presentation
Contributions of the Kress Pompeii Conservation Project
- 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
Pompeii Forum Project
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.
Contributions of the Pompeii Forum Project
- 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
Oplontis Project
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.
Contributions of the Oplontis Project
Extensive excavations have been performed on both villas, revealing discoveries relating to life and architecture.
- Villa A: Study of the gardens and plant material relates to determining the growth during the time of eruption. Second-Style decorative ensembles can be found in several rooms.
- Villa B: Likely an emporium or distribution center. Little decoration but evidence of commerce and accumulation of wealth. Skeletons of 54 individuals found in one room, presumably overcome by poisonous fumes.
Several volumes of findings and digital resources have been published, including a 3D model of Villa A.
