You might think a site that has been excavated since the 18th century has little left to surprise us with. But Pompeii is the gift that just keeps on giving. Partly because – despite how long we have been working on it – there is still so much to uncover: one-third of the ancient city is still yet to be cleared of the thick ash layer that was laid over it by Vesuvius in 79CE.
We are in the middle of extraordinary new discoveries from Pompeii because of the big effort that has been put in over the last few years to excavate different parts of this un-investigated area.
As a result, we have seen a spectrum of amazing finds being unearthed that speak to the wide variety of lifestyles, work, wealth and fashions that criss-crossed the Roman town, which was famous in antiquity as a summer bolthole by the sea for wealthy Romans.
From industrial-sized bread ovens, to serpent shrine frescoes and the enigmatic decorative image of what many initially thought was a pizza (spoiler: it wasn’t!); to the physical skeletal remains of women and children hiding under their staircase from the eruption, as well as a man who seems to have survived the initial volcanic blast but then got pinned down beneath a falling piece of masonry; to the endless graffiti (one charcoal inscription shifted our understanding of when the eruption took place), we are getting, more than ever before, a sense of Pompeii as a living city – warts and all.
I have visited, studied and filmed at Pompeii many times. It is a bewitching place where you can all too easily forget you are in an ancient city destroyed by a volcanic eruption, as you walk down paved streets with buildings towering above you.
This story is from the April 12, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 12, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Everton takeover in doubt as buyer's airline goes bust
Everton’s protracted takeover by 777 Partners has been brought into further doubt this week because an Australian budget airline owned by the American investment firm has fallen into administration.
England bet on Archer for T20 World Cup defence
Rob Key believes Jofra Archer can provide the “special” point of difference as England prepare to defend their T20 World Cup title.
Can Dortmund upset the Champions League odds?
As Borussia Dortmund prepare for their biggest European game in 11 years, they’re also thinking about next year. There is increasing talk around the club about bringing former manager Jurgen Klopp back as head of football in 2025.
Bayern blow opportunity to put semi-final out of sight
A game that had almost everything was never going to leave Real Madrid with nothing.
HSBC boss quits after five years citing ‘intense' period
HSBC’s chief executive is to retire from the bank unexpectedly after an intense” five years in the role.
UAE-backed Telegraph deal collapses as title put on sale
The Gulf state-backed fund behind a takeover of The Daily Telegraph newspaper group has said it will now withdraw and sell the business after politicians moved to block the deal.
Phantom Menace a failure? It's the best in the franchise
The film is back in cinemas for its 25th anniversary. And Louis Chilton has a bold take on the much-derided prequel
More waffle than Wolf Hall
The adaptation of CJ Sansom’s Tudor-set Shardlake’ novels barely balances the scales between history and mystery, writes Nick Hilton, but features a progressive protagonist
Why is security high when flying back from Turkey?
The year 2017 began with a dreadful terrorist massacre at a nightclub in Istanbul, in which 39 people died.
Super fast or super slow? A tale of three UK airports
Heathrow shows a surprising ability to cope with a Border Force strike, while Birmingham and Stansted face queue driven delays. But Simon Calder says passengers can help too