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Thieves steal part of Pompeii fresco

Thieves have stolen part of an ancient fresco from Pompeii, breaking in to a closed area of the UNESCO World Heritage landmark and chipping off a portrait of a Greek deity.

Published: 18 March 2014 12:14 CET

Thieves steal part of Pompeii fresco

Pompeii photo: Shutterstock

A custodian doing rounds last week discovered "the removal of a part of a fresco in the House of Neptune," where a depiction of the goddess Artemis had been "chiseled off with a metallic object," the Roman site's curator department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Police have launched an investigation into the theft of the 20 centimetre (eight-inch) wide fragment, which occurred in an area closed to the public, leaving a glaring white slash in the pink-toned fresco, where a second Greek character now stands forlornly alone.

The discovery sparked outrage in Italy, with Il Messaggero describing it as "a shame for the country", made doubly embarrassing by the recent appointment of a new "super-superintendent" for the site.

In January, police were also shocked to find a relic from the site up for sale on eBay.

READ MORE HERE: Shock after Pompeii relic put up for sale on eBay

The theft comes on the back of a of collapses in the long-neglected ruins near Naples, which have drawn international concern.

The Temple of Venus and walls of a tomb were damaged earlier this month after heavy rains, prompting the European Union to urge Italy to "take care of Pompeii, because it is emblematic not only for Europe but also for the world."

In response, Italy said it would unblock some €2 million to help oil the wheels of a major EU-backed project to restore the site.

But Italy's notorious bureaucracy is hampering the flow of funds to the site.

READ MORE HERE: Is red tape threatening Italy's prized ruins?

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also appealed to private investors to help restore the ruins.

Last year, conservation workers began a €105 million makeover of Pompeii, funded by the EU to the tune of €41.8 million.

But according to the Corriere della Sera daily, only €588,000 have been spent so far – just 0.56 percent of the funds.

The project is seen as crucial to the survival of the 44-hectare site in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 AD.

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Archaeologists in Pompeii who discovered a room which likely housed slaves.

Archaeologists said the newly-discovered room in Pompeii likely housed slaves charged with maintaining chariots. Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii press office.

The little room with three beds, a ceramic pot and a wooden chest was discovered during a dig at the Villa of Civita Giuliana, a suburban villa just a few hundred metres from the rest of the ancient city.

An almost intact ornate Roman chariot was discovered here at the start of this year, and archaeologists said Saturday that the room likely housed slaves charged with maintaining and prepping the chariot.

READ ALSO: 8 things you probably didn’t know about the Romans

“This is a window into the precarious reality of people who rarely appear in historical sources, written almost exclusively by men belonging to the elite,” said Pompeii’s director general Gabriel Zuchtriegel.

Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii press office.

The “unique testimony” into how “the weakest in the ancient society lived… is certainly one of the most exciting discoveries in my life as an archaeologist,” he said in a press release.

Pompeii was buried in ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, killing those who hadn’t managed to leave the city in time. They were either crushed by collapsing buildings or killed by thermal shock.

The 16-square metre (170-square feet) room was a cross between a bedroom and a storeroom: as well as three beds – one of which was child sized – there were eight amphorae, stashed in a corner.

Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii press office.

The wooden chest held metal and fabric objects that seem to be part of the harnesses of the chariot horses, and a chariot shaft was found resting on one of the beds.

The remains of three horses were found in a stable in a dig earlier this year.

“The room grants us a rare insight into the daily reality of slaves, thanks to the exceptional state of preservation of the room,” the Pompeii archaeological park said.

READ ALSO: Four civilizations in Italy that pre-date the Roman Empire

Image: Archaeological Park of Pompeii press office.

Experts had been able to make plaster casts of the beds and other objects in perishable materials which left their imprint in the cinerite — the rock made of volcanic ash — that covered them, it said.

The beds were made of several roughly worked wooden planks, which could be adjusted according to the height of the person who used them.

The webbed bases of the beds were made of ropes, covered by blankets.

While two were around 1.7 metres long, one measured just 1.4 metres, and may therefore have belonged to a child.

The archaeological park said the three slaves may have been a family.

Archaeologists found several personal objects under the beds, including amphorae for private things, ceramic jugs and what might be a chamber pot.

The room was lit by a small upper window, and there are no traces or wall decorations, just a mark believed to have been left by a lantern hung on a wall.

“This incredible new discovery at Pompeii demonstrates that today the archaeological site has become not only one of the most desirable visitor destinations in the world, but also a place where research is carried out and new and experimental technologies are employed,” said Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.

“Thanks to this important new discovery, our knowledge of the daily life of ancient Pompeians has been enriched, particularly of that element of society about which little is known even today. Pompeii is a model of study that is unique in the world.”

READ ALSO: Why is Italy called Italy?

The excavation is part of a programme launched in 2017 aimed at fighting illegal activity in the area, including tunnel digging to reach artefacts that can be sold on illicit markets.

The Villa of Civita Giuliana had been the target of systematic looting for years. There was evidence some of the “archaeological heritage” in this so-called Slave Room had also been lost to looters, the park said.

Damage by grave robbers in the villa had been estimated so far at almost two million euros ($2.3 million), it added.

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