Pompeii is crumbling
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Since no-one is going to tell you I will: here in Italy the financial situation is very very bad, seems there is no money for welfare.
One of the victims is the Pompeii Historical Site, we are letting one of the most famous Archeological Discoveries crumble down to pieces. It's our responsibility, and it would be a valuable asset, instead we let it crumble.
I hate my country right now. Would be nice if things changed.
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is there no foundation or charity that we can donate to? it's just a government site? how sad to lose pieces of history like this.
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@krisidious said:
is there no foundation or charity that we can donate to? it's just a government site? how sad to lose pieces of history like this.
That would be the budget of a smaller country, not a single foundation or such.
The fact is that it1s extremely expensive. Even if Italy weren't in a financial situation as it is now and there were no world wide economic crisis, Pompeii (and other, extensive sites) would in in danger merely because of weather erosion at least. I have sen mosaics falling apart in Ostia years ago, too.
The problem is that archaeological excavations and the pursue of knowledge, fame and riches in finds have always been much bigger than responsibility in the sustainability of these relics. Especially in early days (well starting from the Renaissance) "archaeology" was nothing else than "tomb raiding" and demolishing things for the sake of very few, individual relics.
Just like in Clara Croft and Indiana Jones movies (don't you find it peculiar that after Indiana Jones finally pillages a site for one piece of precious relic, the rest of the site collapses, explodes or destroyed in any other way).
Well anyway, even nowadays, in so called "richer" countries, archaeology in its "classical" form is almost banned. Newer techniques are found an they can research whatever is underground without digging and destroying (archaeology is always destruction, too). But then how newer generations of archaeologists will learn the field work?
Well, they go to other countries and dig there. Then all the excavated but never taken care of abandoned sites remain there and perish. The cost of properly taking care of what one finds (like build a protection building atop and such) are much more than digging things out even if the method is the most scientific as nowadays.
Considering that systematic excavations have been carried out in Pompeii for more than 200 years, it is obvious that much more have been digged out than what can be taken care of.
The saddest thing is that I have never been there and if things go on like this, by the time I can visit it (if ever), a lot of things will change.
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uhhh - that's "Lara" Croft - best to get the important things right eh....?
cheers
rabbit
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