We walked from our hotel to Herculaneum excavation site, where we were fed sweets and made to drink coffee. After an introduction to the site and the main archaeologists involved in the project, we investigated a makeshift museum, full of naval finds, with an almost perfectly preserved ship, fishing gear, anchor and even a leather bag. It was here we learnt of how harsh Vesuvius was to the small community, with about 350 skeletons found around the city so far (only a third of the town has been excavated as the ash that fell on Herculaneum is much harder than that in sites such as Pompeii). The people trying to escape would have had no chance, with the heat waves coming from the volcano at a heat of at least 450*c, this would have killed them immediately with muscles spasming and organs basically liquefying and flesh being completely stripped from the bodies. Due to the ash burying the bodies, archaeologists have been able to see the positions that the civilians died in, all horribly contorted and twisted. The only saving grace about such an awful death is that it would have been extraordinarily quick, so at least they weren't in pain for long. We had the opportunity to see these skeletons that were found in boat sheds, presumably attempting to escape. Many had possessions with them such as jewellery, swords and even a bag full of coins. The saddest instance was a woman, 8 months pregnant, her child's skeleton is visible inside hers. Despite all the sadness, the ruins we saw were astounding, because of the sorts of ash that fell on Herculaneum, many biological things have survived such as wood and leather.
As well as wood and leather, the frescos of many houses have also survived. These paintings were amazing, and we saw the best examples of them in the Villa of Popeia, Nero's wife in Oplontis. The villa is huge and has absolutely stunning frescoes, mosaics and rooms. Some photos of the boat shed from Herculaneum and the frescos from Oplontis are at the end of the blog. This was definitely an amazing day, and it will be one that will be very hard to top!
Day 9 we went to Pompeii. Before I write anymore I really need to point out the disappointment I experienced in Pompeii. It is much more famous than Herculaneum, but really, it is in such disgusting disrepair that it actually made me feel like crying, the Herculaneum Conservation Project is why the sister site to Pompeii is just so much better. It is such a shame to see the disrepair of the buildings that, with the proper care should not be crumbling down around itself.
Despite this disappointment and sadness, the site still holds its beauty and it is certainly understandable why the site is so famous, but again, I feel it is just a tourist trap rather than a site of historical and archaeological significance. That said, the necropoli in Pompeii are amazing, with varying sizes and classes of mausoleums visible. I really love funerary monuments as they offer such a great insight to the people of the towns and how they wanted to be remembered. My personal favourite was a tomb that a man made for himself and his wife, she outlived him and mustn't have liked his mausoleum because she built herself a bigger and nicer one!! Despite this she still dedicated it to him as well.
The absolute highlight of our visit to Pompeii was definitely out stop at the Villa of Mysteries, just outside the city gates. The mysterious fresco in this villa was the first thing I learnt of Pompeii at uni and I remember the lecture quite fondly, as I had no understanding of the Pompeiian wall painting styles or of its most famous fresco. The mysterious scene on the wall was absolutely breathtaking in real life.
Overall, the experience I had of Herculaneum and Pompeii was amazing and one I will never forget, I just hope that archaeologists can continue to conserve the two sites.
No comments:
Post a Comment