EXCAVATIONS:
After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under metres of solidified volcanic debris. The towns we forgotten for many years, until in 1549 Count Muzzio Tuttavilla tried to build an aqueduct to supply his villa near Vesuvius with water from the river Sarno. When Tuttavilla's workmen dug to create space for the aqueduct, they discovered ancient stone and buildings. As the men continued to dig, they found an inscription. However, nothing was done about this finding. Over one hundred years later, a well was being built in the very same spot, and once again ruins were uncovered and inscriptions were unearthed. This time, one inscription identified the area as Pompeii, although nothing was done.
Although Pompeii was discovered first, Herculaneum was first to be excavated. In 1710, a peasant was diffing a well when he found slabs of marble. A local nobleman noticed the significance of this marble and bought the land. For forty years Herculaneum was haphazardly excavated and looted. Many artefacts found went home with their discoverers, causing the objects to lose its context and therefore some of its significance.
After this excavation went amiss, Pompeii was remembered and on March 23rd 1748, over 150 years after its first discovery, digging began in the hope to unearth the ancient city of Pompeii. For the duration of over one hundred years after this, the towns were excavated in a very disorderly fashion.
It was not until 1860 when Guiseppe Fiorelli was made Professor of Archaeology at Naples that order was enforced. Fiorelli made many changed to the excavation style that have positively affected the ruins. Firstly, Fiorelli moved away dirt mounds and cleared streets and alleyways. He drew up a plan of the town and created a system to document each archaeological finding: region, insulae (block), doorway number. He changed the way the excavation logs were kept and added detail such as position, depth and conclusions he was able to draw from the artefact. Possibly most significantly, Fiorelli decided that when possible, objects should be left where found. This would have reduced robbing and missing artefacts, as well as kept the context of the object, helping future archaeologists draw conclusions.
Perhaps the reason for Fiorelli's fame is his invention of plaster casts in Pompeii. Skeletons were found in cavities, on the inside of which imprints of the deceased's body was found. Fiorelli came up with a method of pouring plaster into these voids to create very lifelike plaster moulds of the bodies. This technique has since been used on many different cavities left by organic material in Pompeii.
Excavations have shown that during the eruption, many buildings collapsed. Those that didn't were often looted due to the fact they were closer to the surface of the debris. As a result of Fiorellis' careful and meticulous technique, many buildings have been restored and now serve as a snapshot of life in the cities. However, much of Herculaneum remains underground due to the intensity of the pyroclastic surges that covered it. Pompeii was covered by much less debris and therefore has been excavated more fully.
Although Pompeii was discovered first, Herculaneum was first to be excavated. In 1710, a peasant was diffing a well when he found slabs of marble. A local nobleman noticed the significance of this marble and bought the land. For forty years Herculaneum was haphazardly excavated and looted. Many artefacts found went home with their discoverers, causing the objects to lose its context and therefore some of its significance.
After this excavation went amiss, Pompeii was remembered and on March 23rd 1748, over 150 years after its first discovery, digging began in the hope to unearth the ancient city of Pompeii. For the duration of over one hundred years after this, the towns were excavated in a very disorderly fashion.
It was not until 1860 when Guiseppe Fiorelli was made Professor of Archaeology at Naples that order was enforced. Fiorelli made many changed to the excavation style that have positively affected the ruins. Firstly, Fiorelli moved away dirt mounds and cleared streets and alleyways. He drew up a plan of the town and created a system to document each archaeological finding: region, insulae (block), doorway number. He changed the way the excavation logs were kept and added detail such as position, depth and conclusions he was able to draw from the artefact. Possibly most significantly, Fiorelli decided that when possible, objects should be left where found. This would have reduced robbing and missing artefacts, as well as kept the context of the object, helping future archaeologists draw conclusions.
Perhaps the reason for Fiorelli's fame is his invention of plaster casts in Pompeii. Skeletons were found in cavities, on the inside of which imprints of the deceased's body was found. Fiorelli came up with a method of pouring plaster into these voids to create very lifelike plaster moulds of the bodies. This technique has since been used on many different cavities left by organic material in Pompeii.
Excavations have shown that during the eruption, many buildings collapsed. Those that didn't were often looted due to the fact they were closer to the surface of the debris. As a result of Fiorellis' careful and meticulous technique, many buildings have been restored and now serve as a snapshot of life in the cities. However, much of Herculaneum remains underground due to the intensity of the pyroclastic surges that covered it. Pompeii was covered by much less debris and therefore has been excavated more fully.
HOW METHODS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS EXCAVATIONS CHANGED
When the cities were first discovered, the excavations were very careless and many pieces were taken away to decorate someone's house. Throughout the years, archaeologists have become more educated and understand the significance and importance of both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Centuries ago, buildings and skeletons were broken while being unearthed. Nowadays, Fiorelli's techniques for labelling items and preserving bodies are still used, and the discovery of items is much more precise and careful. Attitudes towards excavations have changed massively as many people have realised how significant and helpful the findings are in the understanding of the Mount Vesuvius eruption 79AD. The modern, careful techniques of excavation have helped unearth key details that help us understand how people lived their lives in each town. For example the decoration in the houses tell us what they liked and what was popular. The plaster casts show us their social status and their health and lifestyle. The architecture shows the influences Romans got from other countries such as Egypt and Greece. The excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum have been vital in the understanding of Roman history as well as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.