Latest news with #NationalArchaeologicalMuseum
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
Butchered giraffe and glass BRAIN found in ancient treasure trove of objects buried by Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago
UNEARTHED The town of Herculaneum was buried under roughly five times the amount of ash that Pompeii was IT was an ordinary day when Mount Vesuvius plastered nearby towns in thick volcanic ash 2,000 years ago. A treasure trove of objects was buried, each giving an insight into the lives people led. 9 9 Butchered giraffe In the drains beneath the long-gone markets of Pompeii, archaeologists have found a rich variety of foods - from sea urchin to shellfish. But perhaps the most exotic find was the leg joint of a butchered giraffe. It is thought to be the only giraffe bone ever recorded from an archaeological excavation in Roman Italy, according to archaeologist Steven Ellis, who directs the University of Cincinnati's excavations at Pompeii. The discoveries point to busy trade relationships outside of Italy. 'How part of the animal, butchered, came to be a kitchen scrap in a seemingly standard Pompeian restaurant not only speaks to long-distance trade in exotic and wild animals, but also something of the richness, variety and range of a non-elite diet," explains Ellis. 9 Glass brain In Herculaneum, a town to the west of Mount Vesuvius, two bizarre pieces of dark-coloured glass were found inside the skulls of two individuals. The first piece of glass suspected to be of 'organic origin' was identified in Herculaneum in 2020. A glassy, black material was found inside the skull of a man on a wooden bed, who was buried by volcanic ash. While the second was hunk of black glass was found earlier this year. Experts believe these are fossilised brains, caused by the extreme heat from the short-lived ash cloud that swept through the ancient town of Herculaneum in 79CE. Herculaneum was buried under roughly five times the amount of ash that Pompeii was. Similarly, the second victim had also been lying on their bed when the cloud descended. For the brain to become glass, it must have been heated to above 510°C before quickly cooling. This is an incredibly rare process is called vitrification. 9 9 Cheeky art The Romans' affinity for brothels, alcohol, and pornography has been well documented and discovered among the ruins of Pompeii. Hundreds of sexually explicit works of art from Pompeii have been placed in the Secret Museum in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. These include graphic sex scenes - which experts believe could be advertisements for local brothels - as well as lots of phallic statuary, believed to bring wealth, fertility, and good luck. Some of these pieces were so cheeky that they were deemed "pornographic" in 1821, and the museum closed the room to visitors in 1849. The Secret Museum didn't reopen for good until 2000. 9 Graffiti Pompeiians were politically active - and they have the graffiti to show for it. There was an upcoming election when the city was buried by Mount Vesuvius. Political slogans and messages of support for candidates can still be seen preserved on the walls today. Though it wasn't just political statements being plastered around. Last May, charcoal wall drawings were unearthed that archaeologists believe were made by children as young as five. The drawings, which were of children's height, suggest they had attended gruesome gladiator battles in the city. The simple etchings depict men with shields and spears fighting animals and each other. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, said children of the time would have come into contact with extreme forms of speculated violence. This includes the frequent executions of criminals and slaves. "We came to the conclusion that in all likelihood the drawings of the gladiators and hunters were made on the basis of a direct vision and not from pictorial models," he said in a statement at the time. "Probably one or more of the children who played in this courtyard, among the kitchens, latrine and flowerbeds for growing vegetables, had witnessed fights in the amphitheatre." 9 Surgical tools Archaeologists have also recovered surgical instruments from Pompeii - which paint a squeamish picture of medical practices in 79 AD. Medical tools have been found in various parts of the excavated city, but most most were found at a structure known as the House of the Surgeon. While the Romans had not yet developed germ theory, many of the tools were made of copper alloys. Copper has antimicrobial properties - meaning the tools may have prevented infections. The destruction of Pompeii – what happened in 79 AD? Pompeii was an ancient Roman city near modern Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. It was destroyed, along with the Roman town of Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, and buried under volcanic ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The violent explosion killed the city's inhabitants, with the site lost for around 1,500 years until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years after that. The thermal energy released from Vesuvius was said to be a hundred thousand times that of the nuclear blasts at Hiroshima-Nagasaki. The remains beneath the city have been preserved for more than a millenium due to the lack of air and moisture in the ground. During excavations, plaster was injected into the voids in the ash layers that once held human bodies, allowing scientists to recreate their exact poses at the time of their deaths. Mount Vesuvius is arguably the most dangerous volcano on earth. It had been inactive for almost a century before roaring back into life and destroying Pompeii. Since then, it has exploded around three dozen more times – most recently in 1944 – and stands in close proximity to three million people. Although its current status is dormant, Vesuvius is an 'extremely active' and unpredictable volcano, according to experts. To this day, scientists are finding cultural, architectural and human remains on the banks of Mount Vesuvius. Excavations at thermal baths in Pompeii's ruins in February revealed the skeleton of a crouching child who perished in the 79 AD eruption.
Asharq Al-Awsat
12-04-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trove of Artifacts Recovered from Black Market Goes on Display in Naples
Hundreds of once-missing artifacts, hunted down over decades by a special police unit, have been unveiled for the first time in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, in southern Italy. In its vaults, the museum preserves 15,000 artifacts seized or confiscated from the black market over the years by a police unit focused on the protection of cultural heritage. It is the loot of raiders who for decades have targeted sites from classical antiquity in southern Italy, such as Pompeii and Herculaneum. Some even used underwater metal detectors, GPS, sonar and drones to extract treasures from the shipwrecks and archaeological sites submerged in the Mediterranean Sea. From its repository, the museum selected 600 pieces to display for visitors. Among them is a statue that had been in an apartment building's courtyard since the early 20th century until its theft in the 1980s, and which was found in 2009. There are artifacts from Pompeii that a French archaeologist bought from a local farmer in the 1990s for 50,000 lire (about $28 today). There are also ancient ceramics, coins, bronzes, marbles, pottery, furnishings, weapons and armor dating from the Archaic Period (approximately 650 to 480 BC) to the Middle Ages. 'It is a beautiful exhibition that tells a beautiful story, a story also of redemption for our stolen archaeological artifacts, which often find their way into private property or even international museums,' Massimo Osanna, the head of national museums at Italy's culture ministry, who helped curate the exhibition, said in an interview. 'Thanks to the work of the public prosecutor's office and the police, together with the ministry, (these artifacts) are finally coming home and to light.' In 2023, the latest year for which there are complete records, the police unit recovered over 100,000 artifacts which it estimates are worth a total 264 million euros ($299 million).
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
A trove of artifacts recovered from the black market goes on display in Naples
NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Hundreds of once-missing artifacts, hunted down over decades by a special police unit, have been unveiled for the first time in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, in southern Italy. In its vaults, the museum preserves 15,000 artifacts seized or confiscated from the black market over the years by a police unit focused on the protection of cultural heritage. It is the loot of raiders who for decades have targeted sites from classical antiquity in southern Italy, such as Pompeii and Herculaneum. Some even used underwater metal detectors, GPS, sonar and drones to extract treasures from the shipwrecks and archaeological sites submerged in the Mediterranean Sea. From its repository, the museum selected 600 pieces to display for visitors. Among them is a statue that had been in an apartment building's courtyard since the early 20th century until its theft in the 1980s, and which was found in 2009. There are artifacts from Pompeii that a French archaeologist bought from a local farmer in the 1990s for 50,000 lire (about $28 today). There are also ancient ceramics, coins, bronzes, marbles, pottery, furnishings, weapons and armor dating from the Archaic Period (approximately 650 to 480 BC) to the Middle Ages. 'It is a beautiful exhibition that tells a beautiful story, a story also of redemption for our stolen archaeological artifacts, which often find their way into private property or even international museums," Massimo Osanna, the head of national museums at Italy's culture ministry, who helped curate the exhibition, said in an interview. "Thanks to the work of the public prosecutor's office and the police, together with the ministry, (these artifacts) are finally coming home and to light.' In 2023, the latest year for which there are complete records, the police unit recovered over 100,000 artifacts which it estimates are worth a total 264 million euros ($299 million).
Associated Press
12-04-2025
- Associated Press
A trove of artifacts recovered from the black market goes on display in Naples
NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Hundreds of once-missing artifacts, hunted down over decades by a special police unit, have been unveiled for the first time in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, in southern Italy. In its vaults, the museum preserves 15,000 artifacts seized or confiscated from the black market over the years by a police unit focused on the protection of cultural heritage. It is the loot of raiders who for decades have targeted sites from classical antiquity in southern Italy, such as Pompeii and Herculaneum. Some even used underwater metal detectors, GPS, sonar and drones to extract treasures from the shipwrecks and archaeological sites submerged in the Mediterranean Sea. From its repository, the museum selected 600 pieces to display for visitors. Among them is a statue that had been in an apartment building's courtyard since the early 20th century until its theft in the 1980s, and which was found in 2009. There are artifacts from Pompeii that a French archaeologist bought from a local farmer in the 1990s for 50,000 lire (about $28 today). There are also ancient ceramics, coins, bronzes, marbles, pottery, furnishings, weapons and armor dating from the Archaic Period (approximately 650 to 480 BC) to the Middle Ages. 'It is a beautiful exhibition that tells a beautiful story, a story also of redemption for our stolen archaeological artifacts, which often find their way into private property or even international museums,' Massimo Osanna, the head of national museums at Italy's culture ministry, who helped curate the exhibition, said in an interview. 'Thanks to the work of the public prosecutor's office and the police, together with the ministry, (these artifacts) are finally coming home and to light.' In 2023, the latest year for which there are complete records, the police unit recovered over 100,000 artifacts which it estimates are worth a total 264 million euros ($299 million).
Euronews
26-02-2025
- General
- Euronews
Spanish government removes mummy remains from museum view
The Guanche mummy went on display at Madrid's National Archaeological Museum (MAN) in 2015. It is the preserved remains of a 35-40-year-old person who it is believed lived between the 12th and 13th centuries and was laid to rest in a cave in the Herques ravine in Tenerife. A member of the Guanches, the mummy belonged to the indigenous people who inhabited the Canary Islands from the first millennium BC alone until Spanish colonialism conquered the archipelago in the 15th century, killing many and assimilating the rest into Spanish culture. Until this week, the Guanche mummy was on display in the MAN's area dedicated to the Canary Islands and protohistory. It has now been removed as part of the Ministry of Culture's new letter that requires human remains 'must be treated with respect and dignity, and in accordance with the interests and beliefs of the communities and ethnic or religious groups of origin.' It's part of a move by Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun to 'decolonise' the state's museums. Last year, his department commissioned a report on the treatment of human remains, a document which stated the Guanche mummy had been put on display 'with a brief label that does not justify its presence'. Urtasun told El Pais that 'it would be possible' for MAN to put the mummy back on display as long as it is accompanied by labels 'that add value'. As it stands, the mummy is set to be moved to the museum's extensive warehouses. However, since 1976, the Canary Islands have campaigned for the return of the mummy. Rosa Dávila, president of the government of Tenerife, says the mummy should be housed in Tenerife's Museum of Nature and Archaeology, saying it is a 'a symbol of our ancestral culture … with an incalculable historical and cultural value for our people, which we have been claiming for more than 50 years.' In 2010, Spain approved the request to return the mummy. The government later rejected the request twice on the grounds that it was too fragile to be moved. The report on the Guanche mummy details its provenance. Discovered in 1763-1764, it was one of at least a thousand mummies in the cave wrapped in 'exquisitely sewn skins'. Of the discovered bodies, the best preserved one was sent to Madrid and has passed through multiple institutions before coming to MAN. It concludes that the mummy should remain in MAN for preservation reasons: 'It is the responsibility of the Museum to try to maintain it in the best possible conditions so that future generations can continue to admire this legacy of the Guanches, always taking into account the respect that the mortal remains of someone who in distant times was a person integrated into that society deserve.' As a result, the mummy's lack of visible presence in the museum continues to aggravate Canary Island politicians. Lope Afonso, the Canary Islands tourism minister, said: 'The return of the mummy would not only correct a historical debt, but would also strengthen culture, pride in the Guanche heritage and respect for ancestral traditions.'
