3a. changing methods of archaeology 19th & 20th century
1. INVESTIGATING,
RECONSTRUCTING AND
PRESERVING THE PAST
Changing methods of 19th and 20th century
archaeologists and their contribution to our
understanding of Pompeii and Herculaneum
2. Giuseppe Fiorelli
• Inspector of Excavations at P in 1860
• He is known as a pioneer of modern archaeology
because of the methods he introduced at P
3. Numbering Houses
• Fiorelli introduced the
system for the numbering
and naming of excavated
houses & buildings
• He divided P into 9
regions, each containing
up to 22 blocks or
INSULAE, and numbered
the entrance to each
building in each block
• Buildings were identified
by 3 numbers –
region, block and entrance
• This system made it easier
for archaeologists to
accurately record where
objects were found
• Fiorelli also gave names
to the streets and city
gates
4. Systematic Excavation
• Under Fiorelli, excavations were conducted in a systematic way
• He removed debris from earlier excavations and approached new excavations
according to a plan, rather than randomly searching for special objects
• He carefully and completely uncovered each building within a block before moving
on to the next block
Early finds using the
methodical Fiorelli
method
5. Top-Down Excavation
• Before Fiorelli, most buildings were excavated from the side
• This often resulted in the destruction of the walls and other valuable evidence
• Fiorelli introduced top-down excavation which did less damage to wall structures
and made it possible to identify and record evidence which could be used in
restoration
Note the walls still
standing. This method
employed by Fioelli
saved thousands of
artefacts and wall
paintings from
destruction
6. Plaster Casts
• Fiorelli observed cavities in the
hardened ash deposit left by the
decomposed bodies or objects
made from organic materials
• He poured plaster into the
cavities which acted like moulds
• The plaster set and when the
surrounding ash was chipped
away, the shape of the body or
object was revealed
• This method preserved
impressions of wooden furniture
and fittings – as well as the
impression of people and
animals that had died in the
eruption
7. August Mau
• This German archaeologist
originally worked on the
inscriptions from P
• But his main interest was in art and
architecture
• He made a study of the frescoes of
P and classified them into 4 styles
• He also provided a date range for
each style which aided in the dating
of buildings
8. Mau’s Classification of Pompeian Wall
Style and date
Painting Characteristics Examples
range
First style – 2nd Wall surface divided in to sections painted to look like blocks of House of the Faun
C BCE stone or marble. Also known as MASONRY STYLE - P
Samnite House -
H
Second style – More elaborate representation of architectural features – columns Villa of the
1st C BCE and windows opening onto painted scenes, creating a 3D effect. Mysteries – P
Some panels have paintings of mythological scenes
Third style – Walls divided into 3 horizontal bands, each with a distinctive colour House of Marcus
Late 1st C BCE scheme. Mythological scenes often appear in panels in the middle Lucretius Fronto –
– Early 1st C band. Motifs such as fountains, columns and candelabras are used P
CE decoratively and in a 2-dimensional way, rather than to create a 3D
illusion of depth or space
Fourth style – Combines elements of 2 & 3: walls are divided into 3 horizontal House of the Vettii
After CE45 bands and feature similar motifs or mythological scenes. Elaborate –P
architectural features painted to create the illusion of depth and House of Meleager
space. More imaginative than realistic in effect. Also known as the -P
INTRICATE STYLE
12. August Mau
Architectural View, Fourth Style, Herculaneum
13. August Mau
• Mau published his work in 2 important books
• The History of Decorative Wall Painting in Pompeii (1882)
• Pompeii in Life and Art (1903)
Painting from the "Villa of Mysteries," Pompeii, thought to portray initiation into the
mysterious Dionysion cult
14. August Mau
• Although there were some overlapping of the 4 styles and periods, research has
generally supported Mau’s general classification which is still in use today.
The First Style Roman wall painting, "Incrustation" is thought
to imitate Greek painting that created flat areas of colour and
'faux" finishes (like a fake marble or oak finish)
15. Vittorio Spinazzola
• Superintendent of Excavations at P
between 1911 & 1924
• Like Fiorelli, he excavated carefully and
systematically, however, rather than
clearing whole blocks, Spinazzola
excavated streetscapes to reveal the
external appearance of buildings
16. Vittorio Spinazzola
• He excavated a considerable length of one of the main streets – via dell’ Abbondanza
(street of Abundance)
• He carefully restored the facades of the buildings, revealing houses, shops, taverns
and workshops
via dell’ Abbondanza
17. Vittorio Spinazzola
• Spinazzola used evidence from the remains of buildings and paintings of Roman
houses to reconstruct upper storeys and balconies which had been destroyed during
the eruption
18. Vittorio Spinazzola
• Spinazzola used photography to record the stages of his excavation
• These photographs have provided valuable information for conservators working to
repair 20th century damage to buildings from theft, vandalism, war, earthquakes and
exposure to the elements
An original photo of excavations in the House
of Octavius Quartio by Vittorio Spinazzola
19. Amedeo Maiuri
• Superintendent of
Excavations from 1924-1961
• Oversaw the most extensive
period of excavation
• Was interrupted by the
Allied bombing of Pompeii
in WWII
20. Amedeo Maiuri
• He uncovered significant new areas including a number of insulae along the via
dell’ Abbondanza, the amphitheatre and the large palaestra
The huge square area,
called the Palaestra, to the
southwest of the
Amphitheatre was built in
the days of Augustus
Caesar. This Palaestra
served as a gymnasium and
a place to indoctrinate the
young people in Augustan
ideals. In the centre was a
huge swimming pool,
sloping from 3 feet to 8 feet
deep.
21. Amedeo Maiuri
• Maiuri was also interested in P’s pre-Roman history
• He excavated right around the walls of P and established the sequence of
construction
• He also uncovered the cemetery along the southern wall
22. Amedeo Maiuri
• He excavated several large houses including the Villa of the Mysteries and the
estate of Julia Felix
Villa of the Mysteries
23. The Villa of the Mysteries featured a large hall with this mural encircling it. The mural is painted in
the Second Style of Roman painting. The mural in the Villa of the Mysteries is thought to depict the
initiation rituals of a mystery religion. For this reason, it has been conjectured that the hall was
used for cult rituals
26. Still life with eggs, birds and bronze dishes.
Roman fresco from the Praedia of Julia Felix
in Pompeii
A married couple, probably the lawyer
Terentius Neo and his wife from the House of
Julia Felix.
27. Amedeo Maiuri
• Maiuri used mechanical equipment to clear away debris from earlier excavations
and to assist in the areas that been considered too hard to excavate
• He protected some excavated buildings by building roofs over them
Insula of Julia Felix
28. Amedeo Maiuri
• Maiuri was criticised for excavations that were done too quickly and with very little
documentation
• Some excavated buildings were unprotected and unrecorded
• Wall paintings in such buildings faded without ever being recorded
29. Amedeo Maiuri
• However Maiuri’s great enthusiasm for the site and the important buildings he
uncovered attracted many tourists and made P well-known internationally
30. Giuseppe •Identified regions, named streets and gates, numbered houses
Fiorelli •Systematic, careful excavation, top-down excavation of buildings
•Plaster casts revealed impressions of humans and animals
August Mau •Classified frescoes into 4 styles of Pompeian painting
•Attributed a date range for each style which assisted in dating
buildings
Vitorrio •Excavated and reconstructed facades and streetscapes,
Spinazzola reconstructed upper storeys
•Recorded phases of excavations in photographs
Amedeo Maiuri •Established sequence for the construction of the walls of Pompeii
•Excavated the amphitheatre and palaestra of Pompeii
•Excavated and restored several large houses (eg. Villa of the
Mysteries)
•Re-excavated and documented the estate of Julia Felix
Fausto Zevi •Halted excavations, concentrated instead on protecting and
conserving
•Photographed wall paintings and mosaic floors
Giovanni Guzzo •Attracted international teams to carry out specialist projects
