Pompeii excavationsIn 1748, official excavations began at Pompeii, nearly 17 centuries after the Greco-Roman city was buried by lava from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 24 Aug in 79 A.D. There had been earlier work done at Herculaneum, where the digging was difficult, through metres of solidified pyroclastic layers. Pompeii, however, was under shallower deposits of lighter pumace, and the focus of excavation shifted there, searching for a treasure trove of antiquities. The manuscript record kept by excavators has noted for this day (in translation) that “In the excavations we have begun at Torre Annunziata, the first thing which we have discovered is a painting 11-ft long and 4½-ft tall.” It was to be cut out for the king, a zealous collector. Knowledge of the ruins and the history of the people and their lifestyle was not the goal.« |
