The excavations of Herculaneum double in size and reach the Villa of the Papyri. The excavations of the beach of the ancient Herculaneum resume
After the last excavations in the 80s, excavations are starting again at the Archaeological Park of Ercolano. Work will soon begin on the Ancient Beach, the shore of Roman Ercolano, to allow its enhancement and reconnection to the visit of the Villa of the Papyri.
The beach has been partially excavated since the 80s, when the city's seafront was brought to light.
Due to the phenomena of ground movements linked to the eruption of 79 AD, the beach is today about 4 meters below the current sea level, a condition that immediately posed significant problems of water regulation. In order to resolve these problems, the specialists of the Herculaneum Conservation Project have, between 2007 and 2010, further highlighted the eastern part of the beach, highlighting the presence of numerous archaeological testimonies attributable both to the most ancient phases of life of the city and to the situation at the time of the eruption. Subsequently, and also thanks to the almost twenty years of experience of knowledge and conservation acquired in Ercolano, they have prepared the project for the Ercolano Park that will see the start within a few weeks.
The planned excavation activities will allow us to reach the level of the beach as it was at the time of the eruption also on the western side. The intervention, therefore, will constitute an extraordinary opportunity to acquire precious information on the most ancient phases of life of the city, on the situation at the time of the eruption and on the dynamics of the destruction in 79 AD, adding a further piece to the knowledge of the Roman cities overlooking the Gulf of Naples.
The project aims to enhance the ancient coastline, bringing back sandy material specifically designed to drain rainwater, restoring the ancient levels, and finally allowing the public to access it, and therefore to walk along the ancient coastline with a previously unseen path. This walk could also extend to the area of the so-called "Nuovi Scavi" with the Villa dei Papiri, finally connecting the two areas of ancient Herculaneum that have always been separated by the Via Mare above.
“The extraordinary discoveries that have taken place here since 1980 have caused international outcry and given rise to a series of sector studies of great interest. We are resuming field research with a renewed awareness of the complexity of the site and, thanks to a multidisciplinary approach, we expect further and solid insights – says Director Sirano – This is a project that will implement systematic, coordinated interventions characterized by a rigorous scientific, documentation and study approach. A project implemented in synergy with HCP, a further piece that demonstrates how public-private collaboration is possible to the full advantage of the public good and the actors who participate in it. The study will go in the direction of combining archaeological investigations, in close relation with anthropological, geological, paleobotanical, conservative aspects, creating a stable connection with the public present and remotely. We believe that this is the most genuine culmination of an activity that began 40 years ago and has advanced with discontinuity and amidst a thousand difficulties that the new Archaeological Park is now able to address and resolve effectively.”
The work will last approximately two and a half years and will be supervised by a multidisciplinary team made up of technicians from the Archaeological Park of Ercolano, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Herculaneum Conservation Project, who will make use of the most up-to-date investigation and documentation techniques that science has to offer.
Article published on 27 January 2021 - 18:02
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