Pompeii update

[Witness]

New Pompeii Graffiti May Rewrite History In A Major Way

Excavations ongoing at the archaeological site of Pompeii outside Naples, Italy, have revealed new graffiti that could put an end to scholars' debate about the exact historical date of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed the city in 79 AD.

The recording of Vesuvius's destruction by the Roman author Pliny the Younger happened 25 years after the fateful event, in response to a request by the historian Tacitus for information about the death of Pliny the Elder, his uncle. In one letter, Pliny the Younger wrote that the date of the eruption was nonum kal. Septembres which, in Latin dating convention, means nine days prior to September 1 -- or August 24.

That late summer date had long been accepted as conventional by historians, archaeologists, and philologists, until research into botanical remains and clothing began. The presence of fresh pomegranates and walnuts at Pompeii suggests an autumn date, as does wine made from grapes that likely would not have been harvested until September. Additionally, some experts say the warm clothing evident in the famous casts of the volcano's human victims also more closely matches autumnal garb.

Today's announcement from the Parco Archeologico di Pompei of a line of graffiti from Pompeii may finally put an end to the August vs. October debate. Written in charcoal on the wall of a room in the Regio V area of the city that is actively being excavated, it reads: XVI K Nov, which means the 16th day before the kalends (first) of November, or October 17.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinaki ... major-way/

https://i.imgur.com/vU8xcrC.png

[Bruce]

Finally. Now I can get a peaceful night's sleep. :intro:

[Witness]

↑ Somebody saw the irony! :figamagee:

[shemp]

Might be another Banksy stunt.

[Doctor X]

People called "Romani" they go house?

--J.D.

[Witness]

Just found this:

https://i.imgur.com/QYwY1AS.jpg

Pompeii ca. 1940. "The Wehrmacht, the greatest travel agency ever", as somebody said.

[Witness]

Finally. Now I can get a peaceful night's sleep. :intro:

Hey Bruce! Another peaceful night's sleep:

Olive tree piece found on Thirasia alters Santorini volcano explosion dates

The dating of a piece of olive tree found on Thirasia will move the dating of the explosion of Santorini's volcano a few decades later than current estimates, the Ministry of Culture and Sports said on Friday, according to ANA.

The wood was discovered in the area "Kimissi Thirassias", the prehistoric settlement which lies on a hillside of the island once connected to Thira, or Santorini, at least up to the Middle Bronze Age, before the volcano exploded.

The settlement is on top of a hill on the southern side of Thirasia, and on the edge of the caldera that existed before the volcano explosion, that is variously dated from 1627 BC to 1600 BC. The wood belongs to the last stratigraphic phase before the explosion, the ministry pointed out.

The University of Arizona at Tucson team that tested the wood note that "the wood dates absolutely to the early 16th century BC, therefore places the Minoan-era blast some decades after the date supported until now."

http://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-news/ ... dates.html

[Witness]

Sensual fresco discovered in ancient Pompeii bedroom

ROME (AP) — Archaeologists have found a fresco in an ancient Pompeii bedroom that depicts a sensual scene of the Roman god Jupiter, disguised as a swan, and a legendary queen of Sparta from Greek mythology.

The figure of Leda being impregnated by the god in swan form was a fairly common home decoration theme in Pompeii and Herculaneum, another town destroyed in A.D. 79 by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius near present-day Naples.

But Pompeii archaeological park director Massimo Osanna praised this fresco as exceptional since it was painted to make it appear Leda was looking at whoever saw the fresco upon entering the bedroom.

“Leda watches the spectator with a sensuality that’s absolutely pronounced,” Osanna told Italian news agency ANSA.

The fresco’s details include a depiction of Leda protecting the swan with her cloak as the bird sits on her lap.

Osanna noted the fresco’s context of the Greek “myth of love, with an explicit sensuality in a bedroom where, obviously beside sleep, there could be other activities.”

The fresco, with its colors still remarkably vivid, was discovered Friday during ongoing work to consolidate the ancient city’s structures after rains and wear-and-tear in past years caused some ruins to collapse, the tourist site’s officials said.

https://apnews.com/2566d74abc7d4995bbc1dc9c0f5a0b62

https://i.imgur.com/NdJPM4E.jpg

[Witness]

Small find, but nice:

Ancient Pompeii: Archaeologists Discover Fast-food Business Preserved in Ruins of Roman City Destroyed by Volcano

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient snack bar in the ruins of the Roman city of Pompeii. The counter’s colorful frescoes have survived nearly 2,000 years under volcanic ash and pumice.

The Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced the find Friday and released several images of the well-preserved bar, or thermopolium. Researchers think the commercial space may once have served hot food.

The counter is adorned with two vibrant paintings. One features a nereid, or sea nymph, seated on a horse, while the other likely depicts a worker in a snack bar–type environment. Archaeologists likened this image to a modern shop sign advertising the nature of a business.

Several vessels known as amphorae discovered by the counter are very similar to those depicted in the fresco.

https://www.newsweek.com/pompeii-ancien ... no-1380327

https://i.imgur.com/Emddeob.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Zqk0Rlv.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/n9Kqxf9.jpg

Made me hungry! :x

[Witness]

You can cut the blather in Italian, of course. :)

[Fid]

You can cut the blather in Italian, of course. :)

Doth truly kick thanks

[Witness]

https://i.imgur.com/K25DvJF.jpg

[Witness]

The Instagram of:

Massimo Osanna
Director general of the Pompeii archaeological Park. Professor of Classical archaeology at the University of Naples Federico II.

https://www.instagram.com/massimo_osann ... e=ig_embed

Lots of nice pics. You'll probably need an overlay killer for your browser, though. (Or you have an account.) I've extracted two of them:

https://i.imgur.com/5U6TaVy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ePN7sp0.jpg

[Rob Lister]

Lots of nice pics. You'll probably need an overlay killer for your browser, though. (Or you have an account.) I've extracted two of them:

Thanks! I've been using UD Block Element, which is a little tedious and not so precise. I just installed BehindTheOverlay for Firefox. Doesn't seem to work for instagram but it works for others. Which ones are you using?

[Witness]

Which ones are you using?

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... ay-killer/

Works for a lot of sites. Sometimes, when it's active, you can't scroll with the mouse anymore: use the arrow up/down keys instead.

[Witness]

Pompeii's ruins yield scalded bodies of rich man and slave

https://i.imgur.com/YGsqUDt.jpg

ROME (Reuters) - Archaeologists have discovered the exceptionally well-preserved remains of two men scalded to death by the volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in 79 AD, the Italian culture ministry said on Saturday.

One was probably a man of high status, aged between 30 and 40, who still bore traces of a woollen cloak under his neck.

The second, probably aged 18 to 23, was dressed in a tunic and had a number of crushed vertebrae, indicating that he had been a slave who did heavy labour.

The remains were found in Civita Giuliana, 700 metres northwest of the centre of ancient Pompeii, in an underground chamber in the area of a large villa being excavated.

The men’s teeth and bones were preserved, and the voids left by their soft tissues were filled with plaster that was left to harden and then excavated to show the outline of their bodies.

“These two victims were perhaps seeking refuge when they were swept away by the pyroclastic current at about 9 in the morning,” said Massimo Osanna, director of the archeological site. “It is a death by thermal shock, as also demonstrated by their clenched feet and hands.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2810J6?il=0

[Witness]

Thought it was a new find, but comparing the pics it is the same "fast food shop" I posted about a year ago (↑) – the archaeologists presumably had a "communication campaign" after finishing the job. :mrgreen:

Anyway, interesting details & pictures:

Extraordinary discovery in Pompeii: Thermopolium found intact with food residues, animal bones

The skeleton of a small dog and human remains were also found in the street food shop.

The Thermopolium of Regio V, one of the snack bars at Pompeii, complete with an image of a Nereid riding a sea-horse, which had previously been partially excavated in 2019, re-emerges in its entirety, with other rich decorative still lifes, food residues, animal bones and victims of the eruption.
...
The Thermopolia, where drinks and hot foods were served, (as indicated by the name of Greek origin), and stored in large dolia (jars) embedded in the masonry counter, were widespread in the Roman world, where it was typical to consume the prandium (the meal) outside the house. In Pompeii alone there are eighty of them.

The first analyses confirm that the paintings on the counter depict, at least in part, the foodstuffs and drinks which were actually sold inside the Thermopolium. The paintings on the counter include two mallard ducks, and indeed a fragment of duck bone was in fact found inside one of the containers, alongside swine, goats, fish and land snails, indicating the great variety of products of animal origin used in the preparation of the dishes.

On the other hand, the first archaeobotanical analyses have allowed us to identify fragments of deciduous oak, which probably belonged to structural elements of the counter. At the bottom of a dolium – which has been identified as a container for wine on the basis of the bottle for drawing the liquid that was found inside it – the presence of beans was detected, which had been intentionally broken apart or ground. In his De re Coquinaria (I,5), Apicius explains the reason for this, asserting that they were used in order to modify the taste and colour of the wine, bleaching it.

https://weirditaly.com/2020/12/26/extra ... mal-bones/ (more details & pics)

https://i.imgur.com/jEkpQOM.jpg

Reuters article with pics: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2900D3?il=0

Italian article with lots of pics: https://www.quotidiano.net/cronaca/pomp ... -1.5850754

[Witness]

Pompeii: Archaeologists unveil ceremonial chariot discovery

https://i.imgur.com/LXkoSU0.jpg

Archaeologists in Italy have unveiled a ceremonial chariot they discovered near the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

The four-wheeled carriage was found near a stable where three horses were uncovered back in 2018.

Experts believe it was likely used in festivities and parades, with the find described as "exceptional" and "in an excellent state of preservation".

Pompeii, engulfed by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in AD79, is an archaeological treasure trove.

The volcanic eruption buried the city in a thick layer of ash, preserving many of its residents and buildings.

The chariot was found in a double-level portico connected to stables at an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana, north of the walls of the ancient city.

A statement by the park described the ceremonial chariot as having "iron components, beautiful bronze and tin decorations" as well as ropes and floral decoration discovered "almost intact".

Archaeologists say efforts to safely free the chariot took weeks after it first emerged during an excavation effort on 7 January.

They said the fragility of the materials involved made their effort particularly complex, with special techniques, including plaster moulding, used to uncover it without damage.

The operation was carried out in collaboration with a local prosecutor's office amid criminal efforts to loot items of cultural heritage from the site using means such as illegal tunnels.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56222992 for the rest & more pics.

[robinson]

Who knew really old shit could be worth so much?










Oh wait, almost everyone

[Witness]

Goes in the Pompeii thread:

Vesuvius ancient eruption rescuer identified at Herculaneum, says expert

https://i.imgur.com/pDIq8mV.jpg

Archaeologists in Italy believe they have identified the body of a rescuer killed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago.

The skeleton, originally thought to be an ordinary soldier, was among some 300 found at Herculaneum in the 1980s.

It is now thought he may have been a senior officer in the rescue mission launched by historian and naval commander Pliny the Elder.

Herculaneum and the nearby city of Pompeii were engulfed by the eruption.

Buildings and bodies were encased in a flow of molten lava, mud and gas that fell on Herculaneum in AD79 at a speed of at least 80km/h (50 mph).

The man's remains were found face-down in the sand at the site to the north of Pompeii around 40 years ago.

Skeleton no 26, as it is known, is believed to have belonged to man aged between 40 and 45 and in good health, who was thrown to the ground by the force of the eruption. A boat was found nearby and it is now thought that the 300 other skeletons found massed on the beach were close to being rescued.

Francesco Sirano, the director of the archaeological site at Herculaneum, said the items discovered with the skeleton no. 26 suggest he may have played a more important role than originally thought.

"He may be an officer of the fleet that took part in the rescue mission launched by Pliny the Elder to help the people in the towns and villas nestled on this part of the Bay of Naples," Mr Sirano told Ansa news agency.

Twelve silver and two gold denarii coins were found in the man's possession - the equivalent of a month's salary for members of the elite Praetorian Guard, according to Mr Sirano.

His highly decorated gold and silver belt and a sword with an ivory handle indicate he was no ordinary soldier, while his bag contained tools likely to have been used by a faber navalis - one of the Guard's naval engineers specialised in carpentry.

https://i.imgur.com/XzQXedh.jpg

Pliny the Elder was a Roman naval commander stationed at the port of Misenum, further up the coast from Herculaneum. He was himself well known for writing about natural history. His death during the eruption of Vesuvius was recorded by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, in two letters written to the historian Tacitus.

"The ash already falling became hotter and thicker as the ships approached the coast. It was soon followed by bits of pumice and blackened, burnt stones charred by the fire... [my uncle] wondered for a moment whether to turn back, as the captain advised, but he decided instead to go on."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57055163

[Fid]

Bro, this is Italy. The term "boner"...

[Witness]

Plunder of Pompeii: how art police turned tide on tomb raiders

https://i.imgur.com/ZwXHcPl.jpg

Looters have plundered Italy’s cultural sites for years, but a crackdown by the carabinieri’s art squad means recent trade has not been as fruitful

By day, the tombaroli, or tomb raiders, marked out the spot. They used long, pointed tools to pierce the earth, beneath which there was a passage that would take them to Roman homes replete with treasure in Civita Giuliana, a suburb of ancient Pompeii, about 700 metres north-west of the main archaeological park.

By night, they dug a network of tunnels. Each was about 40 metres long, starting from their home or abandoned buildings in the countryside area close to the site, and connected to the passage, from where they hammered through ancient walls as they made their way into the homes to seize their loot.

For years, their cunning methods were successful, allowing the tombaroli, a father and son team, to steal artefacts from the site and sell them on for huge sums of money to art traffickers around the world. Then, in 2012, they were caught in action – by Italy’s art police, the carabinieri’s cultural protection unit.

https://i.imgur.com/k3ODGrm.jpg

A fragment of a fresco from Villa Arianna in Pompeii, recently returned to the Museo Archeologico Libero D’Orsi, in Castellammare di Stabia, Italy. Photograph: Parco Archeologico di Pompei pre/AFP/Getty

The special squad had discovered a hole covered by metal sheets, earth and crops leading to an illegal excavation, along with three frescoes destined for exportation overseas. The relics were recently returned to Pompeii’s archaeological park.

“The tombaroli know their dig can either go well or badly,” said Gen Roberto Riccardi, the chief of Italy’s cultural heritage protection squad. “The tunnels at Civita Giuliana were found thanks to intelligence work. The tombaroli are usually people we know and have significant experience … often there are generations of them. But this is not their only work: they usually have farming or building trade activities.”

Looters have been plundering Italy’s cultural sites for decades, but since 2012 their trade has not been as fruitful, owing to an intensified crackdown by Italy’s art police, of whom there are 302 across the country.

In 2020, the squad found 24 illegal digs, arrested 68 thieves and recuperated 17,503 archaeological artefacts. The unit carries out controls of archaeological sites on the ground or above by helicopter. A scuba-diving team also patrols archaeological sites along the Italian coast.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... rchaeology for the rest.