Posted on 08/19/2008 4:35:32 PM PDT by decimon
The unique library of the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, buried beneath lava by Vesuvius's eruption in AD79, is slowly revealing its long-held secrets
STORED in a sky-lit reading room on the top floor of the Biblioteca Nazionale in Naples are the charred remains of the only library to survive from classical antiquity. The ancient world's other great book collections -- at Athens, Alexandria and Rome -- all perished in the chaos of the centuries. But the library of the Villa of the Papyri was conserved, paradoxically, by an act of destruction.
Lying to the northwest of ancient Herculaneum, this sumptuous seaside mansion was buried beneath 30m of petrified volcanic mud during the catastrophic eruption of Mt Vesuvius on August 24, AD79. Antiquities hunters in the mid-18th century sunk shafts and dug tunnels around Herculaneum and found the villa, surfacing with a magnificent booty of bronzes and marbles. Most of these, including a svelte seated Hermes modelled in the manner of Lyssipus, now grace the National Archeological Museum in Naples.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
Papyri ping.
"Sic transit obaminatium quae cum ita sunt!"
PING!PING?
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Thanks decimon and neb52. |
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Romantic but wrong. His belief that Aristotle is much regarded these days is charmingly naive.
I'm more interested in Aristotle's prose works, which have been lost. Only his "lecture notes" have survived.
The Villa of the Papyri is believed to have been owned by Roman statesman Lucius Calpurnius Piso, father-in-law of Julius Caesar.
Does anyone recall the title or number of the letter of Cicero concerning the fellow who wanted posession of Epicurus' house? It's somewhere in Epistolarum ad famliares but I can't remember where. I have the impression that fellow's name was Piso.
-previously-
In search of Western civilisation’s lost classics
The Australian | 8/6/08 | Luke Slattery
Posted on 08/11/2008 1:45:29 PM PDT by LibWhacker
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2060119/posts
-related-
Scientists use MRI at Kadlec to look at ancient Roman scrolls
Tri-City Herald | Thursday, Jul. 10, 2008 | Sara Schilling
Posted on 07/11/2008 9:39:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2044301/posts
I’ve been hearing about this for the last couple of years but so far no actual documents :(
There are some out there, or pending publication, I think the links are posted around here somewhere, amid the couple million FR topics... :’)
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