Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Digging deep
POMPEII’S FINAL HOURS: NEW EVIDENCE C5, 9pm
POMPEII is endlessly fascinating and millions descend on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been a tourist destination for more than 250 years.
The iconic archaeological site, a Roman town destroyed and buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, gives an unprecedented view into history. A culture perfectly preserved for hundreds of years.
And, as this new series demonstrates, there is always more to uncover. With the advancement of technology and brand new excavations, we can learn more detail about the people who lived and died in Pompeii.
Featuring historian Bettany
Hughes, archaeologist Raksha Dave and journalist John Sergeant, this has been billed as a major historical event.
Filmed on site and shown over three nights this week, the documentary aims to reveal new evidence and bring to life the last 48 hours of the city.
There is lots of whispered talk of “special access” as they venture beyond the cordoned off areas, speaking to experts and piecing everything together hour-by-hour. In tonight’s first episode, Raksha joins a live dig while John visits Naples to find out exactly how the Roman way of life has survived for 2,000 years. But most amazing, the team is granted unique permission to take some of Pompeii’s most famous victims – the ‘casts’ – out of the city to a hospital to be forensically scanned for the first time.
Later in the week, Bettany checks out the water system to hunt for clues that the city was doomed, while Raksha climbs down into the crater of Vesuvius itself to look for, ahem, explosive evidence.