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Pompeii restored homes in once lava encased city


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The instant volcanic eruption in ancient times kept Pompeii and its homes encased in a natural time capsule. Once these homes were restored, Pompeii’s new exhibit now offers a realistic glimpse into how the people of this ancient city lived.  According to CNN News on December 25, the homes of the well-to-do citizens of Pompeii were restored right down to their original mosaic tile and wall graffiti. The Italian government has been criticized for letting the uncovered Pompeii homes fall to ruin after years of overwhelming tourism has taken its toll...

 

...via Examiner

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It has to be said (although I've never been there) that Pompeii and nearby Herculanuem are the most fantastic time capsules. That's what I love about Roman history. With such literary and archeological resources, one can almost get to know them. That's history, in my view, not dates and events, but the actions and reactions of the people who lived in former times.

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  • 7 months later...

I was gonna skip a Smithsonian channel documentary "Pompeii: The Dead Speak" last night because it looked gruesome, but when I saw it was 2 hours long  I decided to channel surf in and out, looking for good parts. You can see samples and rerun schedule at http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/pompeii-the-dead-speak/0/3436504 including an uncharacteristicly demure Mary Beard.

 

They laser and cat scan everything (like most recent Rome documentaries) esp a new exhibit of plaster cast dead in Pompeii. I hope that exhibit describes their findings, which is that the pathetic figures are mostly the opposite of what they seem. Not beggars, afro slaves, pregnant women, and old folks hugging their family. Rather they are generally young, strong, healthy 20-ish locals in expensive clothes. The others evacuated during the lengthy warning signs, and the show said the remaining ones were too sentimental too leave (there was actually skull formation evidence most grew up in Pompeii!).

 

Sorry Smithee, but I think you found folks defending the family home from looters and/or looters themselves. 20 year olds are not afraid to leave home towns and don't see the distant world as intimidating. Looting happens very easily in even lesser disasters in otherwise civilized places; I have seen it. P.S. Smithee, when are you gonna point us to a web environment to savor those 3d laser site scans on our own?

Edited by caesar novus
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