The Keeper's Room of the College of the Augustales of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum has been the subject of a research and restoration project in recent months, which is now nearing completion, which has allowed the reopening of what appears to be a real cold case.
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The ongoing physical anthropology research is part of a broader overall project that the Ercolano Archaeological Park is promoting both in the laboratory and in the field. At the Ercolano Park in collaboration with the University of Bordeaux, under the guidance of Prof.Henri Duday, a micro excavation of the skeleton of the young man believed to be the college's custodian was carried out on the same site where it was found and will be completed in the laboratory in the next few days.
Submillimetric reliefs allow us to reproduce, virtually or with 3D digital printing, the entire installation left by Amedeo Maiuri.
Mystery of 1961 excavation revealed
In 1961 during the open-air excavations of the ancient Herculaneum, in a room of the College of the Augustales, a victim of the eruption of 79 AD, a man of about 20 years old was found lying on a wooden bed, buried by volcanic mud.
Amedeo Maiuri left the excavation of the bed with the young man found in a prone position, intentionally unfinished to allow the public an immersive visit perspective by leaving the most superficial portion of the bed and the skeletal remains on display, protected by a glass case, to draw the attention of visitors to the fact that the young man had been surprised in his sleep by the eruption.
The ongoing project, in addition to the excavation, also included restorations that allowed us to better understand the building and in particular this enigmatic custodian's room that took light and air not from the outside but from a window inside the Sacellum and also equipped with a double series of vertical bars. Why so much care? To protect this room from external intrusions or to prevent those who were there from leaving?
The Director of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum, Francis Sirano comments with interest on the progress of the research made possible, within the framework of the study program on the ancient population of Herculaneum, thanks to the collaboration between various national and international teams.
“The advancement of physical anthropology studies-declares the Manager – together with studies on the context of the discovery, they will soon allow us to have an increasingly clear idea of what happened on the night of the eruption in Herculaneum, but also of who was on that bed and why.
Herculaneum confirms itself also in this aspect as an open-air laboratory for the most varied disciplines; the remains of the victims of the eruption continue to provide us with new elements to reconstruct the last hours, and sometimes the minutes of life of this town overlooking the sea in the center of the Gulf of Naples and its population, from their eating habits to their state of health, their professions, their social rank, their beliefs and concerns. The latter in some cases are so close to ours as to create the incredible empathy that these UNESCO places establish with anyone who visits them or simply learns about them”.
Article published on March 3, 2025 - 09pm
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The history of Herculaneum is very interesting but sometimes I get confused with the dates and details. I don't really understand how so much can be known about an excavation from so many years ago. I hope they continue to do more in-depth research to clarify all the mysteries.