- Title: “Little Pompeii†discovered near Lyon in France
- Date: 4th August 2017
- Summary: SAINTE-COLOMBE, FRANCE (AUGUST 3, 2017) (REUTERS) ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERING A MOSAIC LEAD ARCHAEOLOGIST ON THE SITE BENJAMIN CLEMENT TALKING TO A TEAM MEMBER (SOUNDBITE) (French) LEAD ARCHAEOLOGIST ON THE SITE BENJAMIN CLEMENT SAYING: "Here, we don't have the inhabitants but the two successive fires allowed the entirety of the remains, the architecture, the furniture to be fossilized, solidified, because we can excavate the upper-floor levels and the ground floor. And in every space we found furniture left by the inhabitants who had to flee the fire, just like in Pompeii where the inhabitants had to flee the volcanic eruption. And for us, this is extraordinary because we can get a very precise analysis of every area, of every house because everything was abandoned inside." VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS DIGGING (SOUNDBITE) (French) LEAD ARCHAEOLOGIST ON THE SITE BENJAMIN CLEMENT SAYING: "No, it is quite rare to discover a site like this, firstly because of the size of it, which is great for us in terms having a better understanding of how the remains link to one another. We really have the whole urban plan laid out here and that is absolutely exceptional, it's very rare. And it's also rare to discover such a well preserved site after the two fires, it almost never happens and for us it is really an opportunity." VARIOUS OF AMPHORAE IN GROUND AS ARCHAEOLOGISTS DIG IN BACKGROUND WATER BEING SPRAYED ON MARBLE MOSAIC DISCOVERED ON SITE (SOUNDBITE) (French) LEAD ARCHAEOLOGIST ON THE SITE BENJAMIN CLEMENT SAYING: "Indeed, personally, humanly speaking, it's always a bit difficult (to dig up ancient sites) but scientifically speaking, there is no problem in doing all of this. Everything is preserved, on paper, by photograph or by drawing and everything will be able to be restored in this way, for the public but also for scientists." VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGIST TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF SITE VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS AT WORK AT SITE ARCHAEOLOGIST MEASURING HOLE VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGIST DRAWING ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
- Embargoed: 18th August 2017 11:36
- Keywords: Pompeii site archaeology ruins Gallo-Roman museum Vienne fire Roman Empire Sainte-Colombe
- Location: SAINTE-COLOMBE, FRANCE
- City: SAINTE-COLOMBE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News
- Reuters ID: LVA0026SQR5UH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: French archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of a Roman settlement in southern France that was deserted by its inhabitants after fires that ultimately helped preserve the site now being dubbed "Little Pompeii."
The site on the banks of the Rhone near the town of Vienne, discovered on land earmarked for a new apartment complex, has revealed luxury homes, mosaics and items of furniture that date back to the 1st century AD.
Ash from the fires helped preserve the ruins, just as the Roman city of Pompeii was largely preserved after being buried in volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius.
"The two successive fires allowed the entirety of the remains, the architecture, the furniture to be fossilized, solidified... And in every space we found furniture left by the inhabitants who had to flee the fire," said lead archaeologist Benjamin Clement.
Found among the ruins was a near-complete mosaic showing Thalia, the muse and goddess of comedy, being kidnapped by the god of the satyrs, Pan.
The remains will be measured, photographed and drawn. Some will then be removed from the Sainte-Colombe site and sent to the Gallo-Roman museum in Vienne for restoration.
The rest of the remains will have to be destroyed by the archaeologists as apartments and garages will soon take their place. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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