Diggers begin Herculaneum task of finding masterpieces lost to volcano

[G-Manicus]

Click for the complete story via TimesOnline

 

Archaeologists have resumed their search for a library of Greek and Latin masterpieces that is thought to lie under volcanic rock at the ancient Roman site of Herculaneum.

 

The scrolls, which have been called the holy grail of classical literature, are thought to have been lost when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, burying the wealthy Roman city of Herculaneum and neighbouring Pompeii.

 

Previous digs have unearthed classical works at a building now known as the Villa of the Papyri, thought to have belonged to Julius Caesar

[G-Manicus]

I've got to say, the possibility of finding works previously thought lost to history is truly exciting.

[G-Manicus]

Another story from The Hindu News ....

 

In an attempt to recover the lost works of Aristotle, Sophocles and Catullus, archaeologists are to restart excavations at the ancient city of Herculaneum in Italy, where a Roman library lies buried beneath 90 ft of lava from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

 

"It is impossible, absolutely impossible, to excavate Villa dei Papyri without finding fantastic things. We may find the lost scrolls of Aristotle, or we may find something even more exciting that we had not even thought of yet," Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, the Director of the Herculaneum Conservation Project, told 'The Daily Telegraph'.

[G-Manicus]

From The Telegraph:

 

Meanwhile, the first work on the main site of Herculaneum for almost 30 years could begin as early as next year, with the aim of unearthing a collection of public records that will reveal the daily life of the city.

 

Unlike Pompeii, Herculaneum was almost perfectly preserved after the eruption of Vesuvius, down to the tiniest detail. However, the site, which was only discovered by mistake during the 18th century, mostly lies underneath a modern-day suburb of Naples.

 

"The parts we have excavated so far are only around a third of the entire site," said Mr Wallace-Hadrill. "But it is a bit difficult to expropriate the land to excavate the Villa dei Papyri, since it lies underneath the modern town hall," he joked.

 

However, Mr Wallace-Hadrill revealed that digging on the Basilica would begin next year.

 

"We know what is underneath because of tunnels dug in the 18th century, which brought up all sorts of statues and frescoes," said Mr Wallace-Hadrill. The Basilica, which would have served as a town meeting hall, should contain public records of life in Herculaneum that would be invaluable to classical historians.

 

Last year, the first complete painted statue ever found, the bust of an Amazon warrior, was unearthed from near the Basilica.

[G-Manicus]

Excavation work at the Villa of the Papyri

 

[Gaius Octavius]

Great job G-Man! Thanks.

[Ludovicus]

What a fascinating topic. Can someone give us a list of the specific works of Aristotle that are lost. I seem to remember in "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco that Aristotle's work on comedy was one.

Edited October 25, 2007 by Ludovicus

[G-Manicus]

Related article from Scotsman.com

 

 

A FEW years ago, the owner of a tiny flat in one of the labyrinthine back-streets of central Naples finally tired of losing tap-water through his constantly leaking pipes. So he did what any normal resident would do and dug underneath his home to investigate. But what he unearthed was something quite astonishing: not a network of gushing water pipes, but a gigantic proscenium arch - 82 feet high and 100 feet wide - in a theatre capable of holding an audience of seven thousand, built by the Emperor Nero in 64AD.

 

(SNIP)

[Gaius Octavius]

Interesting bit about Nero at the end of the article.

 

Are there any pictures of the bricks in the arch?

[Melvadius]

I recently attended a lecture by Antonio De Simone, who is actively involved in the excavations at Herculaneum. He added some interesting details about the Villa in the following extract from the abstract of his talk:

 

"The level of the Villa studied in the 18th century stands at an altitude of 11 metres. Since the ancient ground level was about 5 metres deeper, we should fix the height of the main floor in antiquity at 16 metres above sea level. On the contrary, open air excavation has shown 4 different architectural levels, including the main one. The levels underlying the main one are adapted to the natural slope, showing progressively smaller dimensions. These rooms are probably for household activities..."

 

In his conclusion he suggested that:

 

"We know today that the villa is much wider than 40 metres and has 4 levels, thre of them preserved as they appeared at the time of the eruption in 79A.D.......the position of the papyri during the discovery and at the position of the portable cabinets, we can hypotize that part of the the collection was being moved along an escape route through the rooms of the underlying levels, leading to the beach; so we can imagine the presence of other rolls along the path."

 

Melvadius

Edited November 4, 2007 by Melvadius