Pompeii crumbles again weeks after House of Gladiators
More walls have collapsed in the archaeological site of Pompeii, Italy, just a few weeks after the House of the Gladiators turned to dust and after another wall crumbled on Tuesday.
The latest collapse was confirmed on Wednesday by Claudio d’Alessio, mayor of the nearby town of Pompei. According to the first information available from on-site, the walls did not carry any frescos, but an inquiry has been opened.
“[Wednesday morning], between 7.00 and 7.30, there was a collapse of the upper part of the raw wall dividing [houses] number one and two in Via Stabiana,” said a spokesperson from Pompeii. “The area has been immediately cordoned off and the first interventions are already being carried out.
“Another collapse has been found also in the middle-upper part of the wall near the side entrance to the so-called Casa del Lupanare piccolo – which is closed to public access.”
The two walls covered an area of about two metres in length and three meters in height, and were located along two minor streets of the city. The collapse was apparently due to the heavy rains that soaked the whole of Italy over the last weeks.
Jeannette Papadopoulos, director of the site of Pompeii, played down the news: “These are episodes that can happen in the course of life of a wide 2000-years-old archaeological site.” She added: “...considering weather conditions... [these episodes] should not generate alarmism nor sensationalistic scenes.”
The news of the latest collapse came only hours after another seven-metre section of raw wall came down in the garden of the Casa del Moralista.
“We live in a status of never-ending emergency,” said Ms Papadopoulos. “Pompeii is a frail city, and if it keeps raining like this, all the walls without a cover are at risk. Rain has been falling for the last two months.”
On November 6, the House of Gladiators in Via dell’Abbondanza, one of the main streets of the archaeological city, collapsed. The building was believed to contain the weapons of the gladiators who used to fight at the circus.
The directors of the site said that the process of mapping the area will continue in the future, but it is clear that the bad weather conditions may lead to more collapses.
The weather has been quite harsh over the last weeks in Italy. Nonetheless, the site has been opened to the elements since the 1950s, and constant maintenance is needed to make sure that the mortars keeping the stones together do not wear off.
Sandro Bondi, minister of culture and heritage, was accused of negligence by the opposition and by heritage experts. When the House of Gladiators came down, many asked for him to resign. He declined any “direct responsibility” at the time, saying that there was no need for him to leave his chair as head of the ministry.
Even after today’s collapse, Mr Bondi said: “The situation in Pompeii is constantly being monitored by the directors of the site. We need to avoid any useless alarmism.”
Quite another opinion is expressed by UDC party leader Pierferdinando Casini, who said: “These collapses are the metaphor of the declining state of culture and heritage in the country.”
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
14.11.2010
The latest collapse was confirmed on Wednesday by Claudio d’Alessio, mayor of the nearby town of Pompei. According to the first information available from on-site, the walls did not carry any frescos, but an inquiry has been opened.
“[Wednesday morning], between 7.00 and 7.30, there was a collapse of the upper part of the raw wall dividing [houses] number one and two in Via Stabiana,” said a spokesperson from Pompeii. “The area has been immediately cordoned off and the first interventions are already being carried out.
“Another collapse has been found also in the middle-upper part of the wall near the side entrance to the so-called Casa del Lupanare piccolo – which is closed to public access.”
The two walls covered an area of about two metres in length and three meters in height, and were located along two minor streets of the city. The collapse was apparently due to the heavy rains that soaked the whole of Italy over the last weeks.
Jeannette Papadopoulos, director of the site of Pompeii, played down the news: “These are episodes that can happen in the course of life of a wide 2000-years-old archaeological site.” She added: “...considering weather conditions... [these episodes] should not generate alarmism nor sensationalistic scenes.”
The news of the latest collapse came only hours after another seven-metre section of raw wall came down in the garden of the Casa del Moralista.
“We live in a status of never-ending emergency,” said Ms Papadopoulos. “Pompeii is a frail city, and if it keeps raining like this, all the walls without a cover are at risk. Rain has been falling for the last two months.”
On November 6, the House of Gladiators in Via dell’Abbondanza, one of the main streets of the archaeological city, collapsed. The building was believed to contain the weapons of the gladiators who used to fight at the circus.
The directors of the site said that the process of mapping the area will continue in the future, but it is clear that the bad weather conditions may lead to more collapses.
The weather has been quite harsh over the last weeks in Italy. Nonetheless, the site has been opened to the elements since the 1950s, and constant maintenance is needed to make sure that the mortars keeping the stones together do not wear off.
Sandro Bondi, minister of culture and heritage, was accused of negligence by the opposition and by heritage experts. When the House of Gladiators came down, many asked for him to resign. He declined any “direct responsibility” at the time, saying that there was no need for him to leave his chair as head of the ministry.
Even after today’s collapse, Mr Bondi said: “The situation in Pompeii is constantly being monitored by the directors of the site. We need to avoid any useless alarmism.”
Quite another opinion is expressed by UDC party leader Pierferdinando Casini, who said: “These collapses are the metaphor of the declining state of culture and heritage in the country.”
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
14.11.2010