Pompeii keeps revealing its treasures almost 2,000 years after Vesuvius

A site that still attracts researchers

The city of Pompeii has long fascinated tourists and scientists alike. According to the franceinfo report, visitors come to the foot of the volcano to discover a city frozen by the catastrophe of 79 AD, while archaeologists carry on their daily work there. For many visitors, seeing the site is a long-deferred dream, and the presence of excavation teams adds a living dimension to the visit.

The report notes that, on the day of filming, research was focused on a small thermal complex. Luca Borsa, an archaeologist who has worked at the site for ten years, leads these operations and explains that every element uncovered matters for reconstructing the city's history. In his view, even modest fragments serve as pieces of a larger puzzle.

Excavations that have continued since the 18th century

According to franceinfo, the very first excavation campaign at Pompeii dates back to 1748. Since then, the site has been explored many times. Archaeologists uncovered the bodies of victims in 1961, then gold coins in 1992. These successive discoveries show that the city has not revealed all its secrets in a single century of research.

Methods have evolved over time, but excavations continue. The site's director, Alessandro Russo, presents a "treasure cave" where nearly 40,000 objects are kept, including rings and beauty accessories. This collection is a valuable resource for understanding the daily life of the inhabitants at the moment the city was buried.

A latest find: a small female head

Among the recently discovered objects, Alessandro Russo cites a small female head found the week before the report was filmed. Still covered in earth and not yet cleaned, it is probably a decorative element from a capital, in his own words as reported by franceinfo. This type of piece illustrates the richness of the city's architectural decoration.

Toiletry objects kept in the collection offer a glimpse of the daily life of the women of the city: mirrors covered with silver leaf and tweezers, which women carried with them, the site manager reports. These small instruments, nearly intact after two millennia, show how everyday gestures can survive across the centuries.

Restoring decoration to preserve the remains

Excavation is not the only work underway at Pompeii. The restoration of floor mosaics, colours and wall paintings also occupies many specialists. Gemma Migliaccio, a restorer trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, is working on the renovation of the House of the Boars, whose decoration is gradually regaining its brilliance.

She says she mainly uses watercolours because they are reversible, meaning they can be removed without damaging the original, an essential principle in conservation. The plasters found strike the teams with their freshness: some well-preserved fragments seem to have been made the day before, as archaeologist Luca Borsa points out.

A vast site, still partly unexplored

The site covers 66 hectares, 21 of which have not yet been excavated, franceinfo reports. This reserve of land leaves considerable room for future discoveries, as study and conservation techniques continue to advance. Each new campaign can change the understanding of a district or a building.

To extend this visit from a distance, enthusiasts can consult the Archéo-Logis profiles devoted to archaeological sites in France, or turn to the museums and exhibitions that present collections from excavations in the Vesuvian region.