Take a Virtual Tour of Two Recently Excavated Homes in Pompeii

Smithsonian Magazine ^ | April 10, 2020 | Nora McGreevy

[SunkenCiv]

In the video, Pompeii Archaeological Park Director Massimo Osanna narrates a tour of two Pompeiian homes that were entombed in ash alongside the rest of the city when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. The director's Italian remarks are translated into English in a statement and can also be read using YouTube's auto-translate feature, according to HeritageDaily.

Osanna takes viewers inside two domus dwellings, or private residences, on either side of Vicolo dei Balconi, or Alley of the Balconies. In the first home, dubbed the House With the Garden, researchers were able to make casts of the roots of plants that grew in the family's garden. The team also found macabre evidence of Mount Vesuvius' toll: the remains of 11 people, mostly women and children, who were likely taking shelter from the fatal blast during their final moments.

Just across the street is the House of Orion, which derives its name from colorful floor mosaics that depict Orion, suspended over a coiled cobra, turning into a constellation. The snake's appearance may reference a Greek myth with ancient Egyptian influences, Osanna speculates during the tour.

"The owner of the house must have been greatly attracted to this myth, considering it features in two different rooms in which two different scenes of the myth are depicted," the director continues. "It is a small house which has proved to be an extraordinary treasure chest of art."

[SunkenCiv]

I nuovi scavi di Pompei (La Regio V) raccontati dal Direttore del Parco Archeologico Massimo Osanna, in un tour virtuale esclusivo.

Un volo con il drone sulla città antica e nei nuovi scavi alla scoperta delle domus venute alla luce: la casa del Giardino con gli splendidi affreschi del triclinio e il portico dipinto; la casa di Orione con le pitture di Primo stile e il mosaico di Orione, unico nel suo genere; ma anche gli ambienti della vita di tutti i giorni. Uno spaccato straordinario della vita quotidiana della città.

Un esclusivo tour virtuale nei nuovi scavi di Pompei con Massimo Osanna | MiBACT | Published on Apr 7, 2020

[SunkenCiv]

The narration of the vid is in Italian, if that bugs you, I can't fix it, so don't write in, okay?

[blueunicorn6]

Do they have blue cabinets in the kitchen?

I’m not looking at any houses unless they have blue cabinets in the kitchen.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

Fantastic!
Thank you.

[SunkenCiv]

Heh... I was watching the vid again, and feeling some bemusement about how the well-preserved wall paintings are fading and vanishing in the relentless weather and probably aerosol pollutants.

[billorites]

Very nice!

Maybe next year.

[null and void]

Eh? Not avocado appliances?

[SunkenCiv]

I just noticed, around the 5 minute mark, ancient graffiti, probably a campaign slogan painting on the wall of a house.

[colorado tanker]

Really cool video. They recovered some amazing art.

I was in a production of The Music Man and got to say the Mayor's line about putting on the spectacle of The Last Days of Pom-pee-eye!

[decal]

The ruins seen from above look remarkably like a street map of London...

[alloysteel]

So they should learn Italian, not that hard, capesh, yeah?

Very interesting tour, and an unbelievable reconstruction of what one day in the life of a Roman city must have been like in the year 79 AD.

[sphinx]

We visited Pompeii last summer and got lucky on the guide, who was an archaeologist, not just a tour guide. He said 40 percent of the city is unexcavated although they're confident that the main civic buildings and temples have been done. It would be great if modern conservation methods allow more of the mosaics and paintings to remain on site. Up to this point, most of them have gone to museums for safekeeping.

Do you have any idea how they are doing on the plaster casts of victims? A lot of them were destroyed before diggers realized what they were. I presume more were destroyed by treasure hunters who didn't care. If there are completely unexcavated sections, a modern dig might discover a lot of them.

[SunkenCiv]

Here’s a topic about a find also mentioned in this new article:

Pompeii archaeologists uncover ‘sorcerer’s treasure trove’
BBC.com | 8/12/19 | BBC
Posted on 08/12/2019 2:05:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3771203/posts

[GingisK]

That is remarkable! Those homes must have offered some very pleasant living. They are made to be lavishly decorated, and that would have been so easy given that layouts.

[BenLurkin]

Very cool!

[Calvin Locke]

Betcha you could probably find Italian Blue Marble counter tops...will that do?

[DannyTN]

Is there a virtual volcanic explosion?
With virtual burning sensations?
Virtual stones falling on your from the sky?
Virtual ash so thick you can’t breathe?

[njmaugbill]

“Betcha you could probably find Italian Blue Marble counter tops...will that do?”

You forgot Double Sinks!

[SunkenCiv]

I like the quiet jazz soundtrack, wish it were in the credits.

[a fool in paradise]

How much do they rent for?