Pompeii crumbles under the burden of neglect
A priceless building in the historic city of Pompeii has collapsed under the burden of neglect, while the alarm bells keep ringing on whether the rest of the site is facing the same dusty fate.
The Italian archaeological site faced a major loss when one of its constructions, the House of Gladiators in Via dell'Abbondanza, collapsed in the early hours of the morning last Saturday.
When the site's keepers discovered the rubble, the area was cordoned off and tourists were diverted to other parts of the site.
The House of the Gladiators, on the main street of the site, used to be a storage place for the gladiators' weapons, which were kept in tall, wooden wardrobes – and were never found. The first restoration interventions were performed in the 1920s, followed by others after the end of the WWII, in 1947.
The interiors of the building was closed to the public, but tourists could still admire the frescos on the exterior walls, portraying gladiators in battle or in training.
Guglielmo Pepe, the editor of National Geographic Italia, accused the authorities of failing to listen to the many warnings that were voiced long before this happened. He wrote (in Italian) on his blog: “Whoever has underestimated the situation is irresponsible. In our article published in the beginning of 2009, the former supervisor [of the site] voiced this simple concern: funds. A total of 270 mn euros was needed to carry out the necessary works. That money never came.”
The adverse weather conditions in the previous few weeks had already alarmed the custodians about the state of the buildings, many of which had mud and water seeping in. Ever since the first excavations took place, the elements have been a primary source of wear for the centuries-old site.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano commented on the collapse in Pompeii, saying, “What happened in Pompeii is a shame for the whole of Italy.”
Since the collapse, the Italian opposition has been repeatedly asking for the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Sandro Bondi, to step down. He denied any direct responsibility linked to the collapse, saying that there was therefore no reason for him to resign.
“If I had responsibility for what happened, asking for my resignation would be more than right,” he said. “But the problems of Pompeii's conservation, as well as for other situations concerning the artistic heritage, have been dragging along for decades without anyone being able to solve them.”
But Fabio Granata, MP for the Italian party Futuro e Liberta', laid the blame on Mr Bondi, saying, “[The minister] has to face his heavy political responsibilities.
“Conservation of cultural heritage doesn't mean static stewardship. It means dynamic prevention.”
Pompeii is one of the most visited and important archaeological sites in the world. Speaking in strict terms, it is not simply an archaeological site – it is a archaeological city.
The city of Pompeii, in the Italian region of Campania, not far from Naples, was founded between 700 and 600 BC by a population that lived in central Italy. With the growth of the Roman empire, Pompeii became an important centre because of the fertility of its lands. Agriculture prospered thanks to the town's proximity to the Vesuvius, the region's volcano.
When the volcano erupted, in around the second half of the first century AD, the city was covered by a 25-metre-deep layer of magma, ashes, soil and lava. The entire city became what is today described as a ghost town. Tourists can still see the houses, the temples, the people, as they used to be on the day of the eruption – everything is perfectly conserved by the stratus of volcanic lava.
A nearby city, Herculaneum, was also hit by a major eruption and is another main cultural attraction.
Both Pompeii and Herculaneum are listed as part of Unesco's World Heritage Sites.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
06.11.2010
The Italian archaeological site faced a major loss when one of its constructions, the House of Gladiators in Via dell'Abbondanza, collapsed in the early hours of the morning last Saturday.
When the site's keepers discovered the rubble, the area was cordoned off and tourists were diverted to other parts of the site.
The House of the Gladiators, on the main street of the site, used to be a storage place for the gladiators' weapons, which were kept in tall, wooden wardrobes – and were never found. The first restoration interventions were performed in the 1920s, followed by others after the end of the WWII, in 1947.
The interiors of the building was closed to the public, but tourists could still admire the frescos on the exterior walls, portraying gladiators in battle or in training.
Guglielmo Pepe, the editor of National Geographic Italia, accused the authorities of failing to listen to the many warnings that were voiced long before this happened. He wrote (in Italian) on his blog: “Whoever has underestimated the situation is irresponsible. In our article published in the beginning of 2009, the former supervisor [of the site] voiced this simple concern: funds. A total of 270 mn euros was needed to carry out the necessary works. That money never came.”
The adverse weather conditions in the previous few weeks had already alarmed the custodians about the state of the buildings, many of which had mud and water seeping in. Ever since the first excavations took place, the elements have been a primary source of wear for the centuries-old site.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano commented on the collapse in Pompeii, saying, “What happened in Pompeii is a shame for the whole of Italy.”
Since the collapse, the Italian opposition has been repeatedly asking for the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Sandro Bondi, to step down. He denied any direct responsibility linked to the collapse, saying that there was therefore no reason for him to resign.
“If I had responsibility for what happened, asking for my resignation would be more than right,” he said. “But the problems of Pompeii's conservation, as well as for other situations concerning the artistic heritage, have been dragging along for decades without anyone being able to solve them.”
But Fabio Granata, MP for the Italian party Futuro e Liberta', laid the blame on Mr Bondi, saying, “[The minister] has to face his heavy political responsibilities.
“Conservation of cultural heritage doesn't mean static stewardship. It means dynamic prevention.”
Pompeii is one of the most visited and important archaeological sites in the world. Speaking in strict terms, it is not simply an archaeological site – it is a archaeological city.
The city of Pompeii, in the Italian region of Campania, not far from Naples, was founded between 700 and 600 BC by a population that lived in central Italy. With the growth of the Roman empire, Pompeii became an important centre because of the fertility of its lands. Agriculture prospered thanks to the town's proximity to the Vesuvius, the region's volcano.
When the volcano erupted, in around the second half of the first century AD, the city was covered by a 25-metre-deep layer of magma, ashes, soil and lava. The entire city became what is today described as a ghost town. Tourists can still see the houses, the temples, the people, as they used to be on the day of the eruption – everything is perfectly conserved by the stratus of volcanic lava.
A nearby city, Herculaneum, was also hit by a major eruption and is another main cultural attraction.
Both Pompeii and Herculaneum are listed as part of Unesco's World Heritage Sites.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
06.11.2010