Preserving Pompeii

Looking after a city that’s over 2,000 years old is far from an easy task

01 Regio V

The current excavations are taking place here, uncovering a part of the city that hasn’t seen the light of day since the eruption in 79 CE.

New technologies like lasers and drones are being used to uncover the half-hectare area in what’s been called one of the biggest postwar digs in the world.

02 Villa of the Mysteries

From 1924 to 1961, a considerable amount of excavating took place. One of the buildings to be uncovered in this period was the Villa of the Mysteries, a well-preserved villa on the outskirts of Pompeii. Archaeologists also dug up most of Regio I and II.

03 Via dell’abbondanza

While today this street makes up the majority of the ‘Pompeii for all’ walking route, it was heavily bombed during World War II, hampering excavation efforts. It was around this time that Vesuvius erupted again and parts of the area were evacuated.

“a river of poisonous gases hurtled down the mountain at 100 miles an hour”

04 House of the Gladiators

In 2010, tragedy struck. The House of the Gladiators, which had been struck during the bombing raid in the 1940s, suddenly collapsed after a bout of heavy rainfall in the Bay of Naples. Thought to be a relatively sturdy building, its collapse shocked many.

05 Adverse conditions

Because the city of Pompeii isn’t covered by anything, it’s open to the elements – and that creates problems for us today. A lot of what has been uncovered by archaeologists over the years has suffered from wind, rain, light damage and even tourists and archaeologists themselves.

06 Still underground

Just under one-third of Pompeii still lies unexcavated underground. Arguably, this is the safest place for the buildings as here they can’t be damaged by the elements or the people constantly traipsing through. It’s uncertain if digs will take place here in the future.