L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Roman writer and cook who lived between the 1st and t h e 2 n d c e n t u r y A D , explains us what that is: fava beans were used to modify the taste and the color of wine, making it whiter. His b o o k i s , t o d a y , t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t s o u r c e e x t a n t about food and cooking in ancient Rome, even though only a later 4th century rew- riting remains of its recipes. H a v i n g d i s c o v e r e d t h e a c t u a l r e m a i n s o f t h o s e dishes means having finally found Apicius' own primary source. It's just as important as the charcoal inscription found in 2018 on the walls of a domus under restora- tion, which finally demon- strated how the eruption t h a t o b l i t e r a t e d P o m p e i i took place in October and not in the Summer as it was believed. A priceless disco- very. B e h i n d t h i s t r e a s u r e , there is an interdisciplinary team able to gather from the actual findings much more t h a n w h a t w e s e e i n m u s e u m . G e o l o g i s t s a n d vulcanologists were able to, quite literally, dig into strata upon strata of pyroplastic material; physical anthropo- l o g i s t s , a r c h a e o b o t a n i s t s and archaeozoologists were able to bring back from the past people, objects, mate- r i a l s a n d p l a n t s b u r i e d u n d e r m e t e r s o f a s h e s ; a r c h i t e c t s m a n a g e d t o reconstruct accurately and in 3D, the way Pompeii's homes were decorated, their beauty and that of the whole town. They even discovered h o w b u i l d i n g s c o l l a p s e d under that tragic rain of vol- canic debris and understood that, when the eruption took place, an entire block of the town was under reconstruc- tion after the earthquake of 62 AD. T h e R e g i u m V a r e a , where the Thermopolium was discovered, has been so far only partly excavated, in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e G r a n d e P r o g e t t o Pompei, aimed at securing and consolidating existing archaeological areas. The project, however, has been offering a plethora of incre- d i b l e d i s c o v e r i e s t h a t , thanks to "state of the art methodologies and techno- logies, have been giving us surprising data," as noted by M a s s i m o O s a n n a , a d interim general director of the Parco Archeologico di Pompei. "Study opportuni- t i e s i n t h i s c o n t e x t a r e extraordinary because, for the first time, we found a full Thermopolium and we c a n c a r r y o u t a n a l y t i c a l work with new technologies that will offer a new view on t h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n d i e t , " O s a n n a c o n t i n u e s . T h e Pompeii site's general direc- tor is a professor of classical archaeology and was direc- tly involved in the renais- sance of the site after the severe structural damages of 2010. Starting in 2018, impor- tant discoveries have been made in the square opening i n f r o n t o f t h e T h e r m o p o l i u m : a w a t e r tank, a fountain and a piezo- metric tower used to distri- bute water. They were not far from another exceptional discovery, another inn deco- rated with a beautiful fresco o f f i g h t i n g g l a d i a t o r s . I n 2019, the front decoration of t h e T h e r m o p o l i u m w a s unearthed: a Nereid on a horse, moving in a marine environment and a series of amphorae placed in front of a counter, the equivalent of a modern restaurant sign. It was then decided to excava- t e t h e a r e a f u l l y . A s i t i s c o m m o n i n P o m p e i i , t h e store had a large entrance area and, of course, a large angular counter with a side f a c i n g t h e s t r e e t . T h i s ancient canteen, however, w a s a l s o a m e e t i n g p l a c e where people ate and spent time together, enjoyed the b e a u t i f u l p a i n t i n g s a n d , often, mocked one another (as a graffiti show). Thanks to the excavation (which had already brought back to life the Thermopolium's large wooden door, damaged by the eruption, and a counter on the first floor of the buil- d i n g ) , b e a u t i f u l f r e s c o e s depicting animals surroun- ded by trees and plants were also uncovered. It is possible they represented animals butchered and sold on the p r e m i s e s . T h e r e a r e t w o ducks hanging upside down, r e a d y t o b e c o o k e d a n d eaten; a superbly painted c o c k e r e l a n d a d o g o n a leash, almost a warning, on the style of the famous Cave Canem mosaic. M a t e r i a l u s e d t o t r a n - sport and store food has also b e e n d i s c o v e r e d : n i n e amphorae, a bronze patera, two flasks and a large cera- mic olla (a jar). The floor, also discovered, was made of a layer of cocciopesto, a mixture of earthenware or bricks mixed with lime and s a n d u s e d t o g u a r a n t e e impermeability, where poly- c h r o m a t i c m a r b l e s w e r e inserted. Bone findings have also b e e n p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e - s t i n g . B e t w e e n t h e t w o doors, the skeleton of a dog was discovered: not large and muscular as the one in the frescoes, but a smaller one, just about 20 to 25 cm t a l l , i n s p i t e o f b e i n g a n adult. This seems to point at h o w , a l r e a d y i n R o m a n times, intentional race selec- t i o n w a s t a k i n g p l a c e . B e h i n d t h e c o u n t e r , t h e bones of a 50 year old per- son were found. Likely, they were left there by century thieves in search of precious ancient objects. Probably, when the Vesuvius erupted, he was resting on a bed, as hinted at by the presence of a n a r e a f o r i t , a n d b y a number of nails and wood s p l i n t e r s u n d e r n e a t h t h e body itself. The Parco Archeologico d i P o m p e i i s t h e s e c o n d most visited archaeological site in Italy, after the Roman Colosseum-Imperial Fora- Palatine circuit (almost 4 million visitors inn 2019), and one of Italy's most vital and rich historical locations. At the end of November, two a n c i e n t P o m p e i a n s w e r e given back to us, thanks to t h e f a m o u s p l a s t e r c a s t m e t h o d c r e a t e d b y Giuseppe Fiorelli in the 1 9 t h c e n t u r y : i t i n v o l v e s pouring liquid plaster into the cavities left by bodies inside compacted ashes. In t h i s c a s e , t o o , t h e u s e o f cameras and modern tech- nologies helped creating a much more detailed image showing amazing details, from the way clothes draped a r o u n d t h e s e p e o p l e ' s bodies, to the veins on their hands. "This extraordinary d i s c o v e r y s h o w s t h a t Pompeii is important in the world not only for the many t o u r i s t s v i s i t i n g i t — Franceschini said back in November — but because i t ' s a p l a c e o f i n c r e d i b l e research, of study and for- m a t i o n . T h e r e a r e m o r e than 20 hectares still to dig, a n i m m e n s e j o b f o r t h e archaeologists of today and tomorrow." P a r t o f t h e U N E S C O W o r l d P a t r i m o n y s i n c e 1997, the site is only partly explored. The ancient city developed over 66 hectares. The area excavated so far uncovered 1500 buildings, between domus and monu- m e n t s . 2 m i l l i o n c u b i c m e t e r s o f w a l l s , 1 7 , 0 0 0 square meters of frescoes, 2 0 , 0 0 0 s q u a r e m e t e r s o f p l a s t e r s , 1 2 , 0 0 0 s q u a r e m e t e r s o f f l o o r s , 2 0 , 0 0 0 square meters of roofs, but there is still a lot to do. What's truly incredible about Pompeii, however, is how close visitors feel to the world all those ashes kept in the dark for so long. They can feel ancient life happe- ning, they can see it, becau- se "the extraordinary traces of daily life the city keeps on giving us, thanks to this continuous taking away of artifacts and data from the earth — Osanna writes in his b o o k P o m p e i : I l T e m p o Ritrovato — give us the spe- cial, instinctive I dare say, occasion to compare that everyday life with our daily activities, with our routine and our contemporaneity." Continued from page 4 A fresco of a dog, found in the Thermopolium. The skeleton of a dog was also found in the same location (Photo: Luigi Spina)

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