Describe Italian and international contributions to the conservation of the sites of Pompeii andHerculaneum. In your answer, use Sources H, I and J and your own knowledge. (41 lines; 10 marks)

SOURCE H

Excavation trench leading to the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, after conservation

work and construction of new protective shelters by the Herculaneum Conservation

Project.

SOURCE I

Map of all visitor movement at Pompeii. Red lines indicate visitor movement.

Locations 1–5 indicate high visitor traffic

Locations 6–10 indicate medium visitor traffic

Locations 11–15 indicate low or no visitor traffic

SOURCE J

UNESCO and Italy agree to cooperate on the restoration of Pompeii (UNESCO World Heritage Centre website,Tuesday 29 November 2011)

UNESCO and Italy have agreed to collaborate on the restoration of the Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1997. International attention turned to the World Heritage site in late 2010, when torrential rains led to the collapse of several vestiges including the Schola Armaturarum ... and the equally famous House of the Moralist. According to the agreement, signed by Assistant Director-General ...

The Director-General congratulates the Italian authorities for progress achieved in the conservation of the iconic World Heritage site of the Archaeological Areas of Pompeii and Herculaneum (UNESCO World Heritage Centre website Monday, 3 September 2012)

During her visit to Naples on the occasion of the World Urban Forum organised by UN-HABITAT the Director-General, Irina Bokova, commended the Italian authorities, and in particular the Municipal authorities and Superintendency of Region, for the positive emergency conservation achievements at the World Heritage archaeological complex of Pompeii, following the collapse of walls in 2010 and 2011. She expressed appreciation for the recruitment of 21 new and qualified technical staff to ...

MODEL ANSWER

Since the 1970s, the archaeological focus at Pompeii and Herculaneum has switched from excavation of new regions to conservation of those that have already been exposed. At first, this was hampered by a lack of money. However, in 1997 the Italian government made the important decision to allow all revenues from tourism to be used for management and conservation, rather than just a portion. This increased the budget considerably, allowing more to be spent on preservation of endangered streets, buildings and houses. That same year, UNESCO declared Pompeii and Herculaneum to be World Heritage Sites.

The new revenues generated by tourism were urgently needed in 2010, when part of the House of the Gladiators (the Schola Armaturarum) collapsed (Source J). That same month, a large section of the garden wall of the House of the Moralist collapsed, as did an ancient shop and an ancient brothel the following month. Restoration was immediately commenced, and within two years UNESCO was praising the Italian authorities for their efforts. These included “the recruitment of of 21 new and qualified technical staff” (Source J).

As well as greater revenues from tourism, the Superintendent of the sites has also been given the power to raise money via international partnerships. One of the best known is the European Union’s 30 million euros five year conservation program. Others include the Anglo-American project (to re-examine an insula near the Herculaneum Gate), the Philodemus Project (to read the charred rolls recovered from the Villa of the Papiri), the Pompeii Forum Project and the Herculaneum Conservation Project (to shore up buildings, improve drainage and use falcons to deter pigeons). In addition, revenue has been raised from UNESCO, the Kress Foundation, the World Monuments Fund and many other international organisations.

One of the top priorities of the Herculaneum Conservation Project has been the installation of new shelters at the Villa of the Papyri, where there had been no previous conservation plan. These shelters are shown in Source H. Unlike earlier such installations in Herculaneum, which attempted to replicate the look of the ancient structures, the new roofing here is lower and flatter, offering better protection from the elements and better drainage. The colour also blends in better with the surrounds.

Another area of priority has been to better manage tourism at the two sites, particularly Pompeii, which has 2.5 million visitors each year. Source I identifies the most commonly visited areas in the city, allowing the authorities to concentrate their conservation efforts there.