- Title: Sumptuous ancient Roman home reopens to public after 30-year restoration project
- Date: 24th October 2019
- Summary: HERCULANEUM, ITALY (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) DETAIL OF ANCIENT FRESCO ON WALL OF HOUSE OF BICENTENARY FRESCOES ON WALLS DETAIL OF FRESCO PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES OF FRESCOES DETAIL OF FRESCO ANCIENT SKYLIGHT / VIEW OF TOURISTS GATHERED AROUND WATER FEATURE WITH MOSAIC DETAIL USED TO COOL DOWN HOUSE VARIOUS OF MOSAICS AROUND WATER FEATURE VARIOUS OF ROOM WITH ANCIENT TABLE/ SUN LIGHT ON TABLE VIEW OF INTERNAL GARDEN GROOVED COLUMNS IN THE GARDEN CHIEF RESTORER FOR GETTY CONSERVATION INSTITUTE, LESLIE RAINER TALKING WITH MEDIA SOUNDBITE (English) CHIEF RESTORER FOR GETTY CONSERVATION INSTITUTE, LESLIE RAINER, SAYING: "It's important because the house, due to structural issues and problems of lack of maintenance in the mid-20th century, has been closed to the public for nearly 30 years. But it's a jewel of the site and the opening of it today, really marks a great occasion for the whole revival of the site and for this piece of heritage which is unique in the world." RESTORERS WORKING ON FRESCO DETAIL OF RESTORER BRUSHING FRESCO RESTORATION IN PROGRESS VIEW OF ROOM WITH RAISED AREA WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN USED AS BASE FOR BED DETAIL OF WALL FRESCO VIEW OF DECORATED FLOOR / VIEW OF FRESCO ON WALL DETAIL OF FRESCO SOUNDBITE (English) HERCULANEUM CONSERVATION PROJECT SUPERVISOR, JANE THOMPSON, SAYING: "Today we're returning one of the most important houses in Herculaneum to the public, and you can see for yourselves, it's still work in progress, we wanted the visitors to come in, even when some of the final steps are still being carried out, so you still see some scaffolding. Over the next few months you'll still see some people working. But the important thing for us, in a site which got forgotten, from humanity, the important thing for us is when places are visited, they stay in the collective memory." RESTORER WORKING ON GROUND WORKERS OUTSIDE SPRAYING WALL VARIOUS OF RESTORER WORKING ON WALL PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES OF WOODEN GATE VARIOUS DETAILS OF WOODEN FOLDABLE GATE SOUNDBITE (Italian) LEAD ARCHAEOLOGIST, DOMENICO CAMARDO, SAYING: "This house has very many important and different things, some still at the house, others which have been shipped to museums. Entering the atrium of the house, we have this wooden grilled gate, which is a unique piece, the only gate with a grid that can be folded, from 2000 years ago, with all the decorations. The decoration in the upper part made with a hexagon design is beautiful, and it is a very delicate piece, also very important. It distinguishes that area's function, because behind that gate there would have been the shrine for the house, where the statues of the owner's ancestors would have been placed. He would have been an important person, because this house opened onto the main road of the town, on the Decumano Massimo road. Because of this position we can tell he was important. There is also a very important aspect that has been often discussed, on the first floor of the house, the famous wooden cross which was found in the 1930's during excavation, and we now understand was part of a shelf." VARIOUS OF CROSS-SHAPED MARK ON WALL BELIEVED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO HAVE BEEN LEFT BY SHELF VARIOUS OF TOURISTS LOOKING AT HERCULANEUM SITE
- Embargoed: 7th November 2019 09:46
- Keywords: Archeology ancient Roman home reopening excavation site House of Bicentenary
- Location: HERCULANEUM, ITALY
- City: HERCULANEUM, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2GFZA1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: One of Italy's most beautiful and noble Roman houses, the House of the Bicentenary in the archaeological park of Herculaneum, has been brought back to the public eye this week after a thirty-year restoration project.
Herculaneum, a seaside town, was buried under volcanic material along with nearby Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The three-storey House of the Bicentenary earns its name as it was discovered in 1938, 200 years after the beginning of the Bourbon monarchy excavations that brought the town back to light.
The structure soon fell into disrepair due to lack of maintenance and lay hidden from the public until a private-public partnership between the Herculaneum local authority, the Herculaneum Conservation Project and the Getty Conservation Institute, brought it back to life.
"It's important because the house, due to structural issues and problems of lack of maintenance in the mid-20th century, has been closed to the public for nearly 30 years. But it's a jewel of the site and the opening of it today, really marks a great occasion for the whole revival of the site and for this piece of heritage which is unique in the world," explained Chief Restorer for the Getty conservation Institute Leslie Rainer.
Inside the house, mosaics are seen decorating the rim of a pool in the central area, which was originally used to cool down the surroundings. Beautiful frescoes are seen decorating the walls and a marble table is still attached to a wall perfectly positioned to catch the rays of sun. Restorers will continue to work at the site whilst tourists visit.
"Over the next few months you'll still see some people working. But the important thing for us, in a site which got forgotten, from humanity, the important thing for us is when places are visited, they stay in the collective memory," explained Herculaneum Conservation Project Supervisor Jane Thompson.
Several aspects of the house are particularly important. One is a beautifully preserved grilled wooden gate used to mark off the family shrine where statues in honour of the ancestors of the owner would have been kept. A complex hexagonal design is seen marking the upper section of the gate.
"Entering the atrium of the house, we have this wooden grilled gate, which is a unique piece, the only gate with a grid that can be folded, from 2000 years ago, with all the decorations. The decoration in the upper part made with a hexagon design is beautiful, and it is a very delicate piece," explained lead archaeologist Domenico Camardo.
Another aspect that has been discussed for years is the apparent presence of a cross marked into a wall, unusual in a building that hails from at least 79 years before Christ. Archaeologists can now confirm the marking originally came from a shelf structure.
The House of the Bicentenary is a massive structure of some 600 square-metres and would have been owned by a person holding an important position in the community as the house opens onto the main street. It also boasted an internal garden with the remains of ancient rose bushes that would have been cultivated in the area. For now, archaeologists will continue to restore the building, and hope to learn even more information from the remains, but their biggest project is to restore and make sure the delights of the house can remain on show for decades to come.
(Production: Cristiano Corvino, Eleanor Biles, Alessandro Felici) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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