EMERGING FROM THE ASH

Pompeii's eventual rediscovery led it to become one of the world's greatest archaeological marvels - and a site visited by millions

- JONATHAN WRIGHT

Pompeii is a place with two histories. The first, the story of a bustling city, ended abruptly in AD 79 when the eruption of Vesuvius buried Pompeii in pumice and ash, and those who didn't flee were overwhelmed by a pyroclastic surge.

The second of the two histories began in 1748, when Spanish military engineer Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre (1702-80) first dug at a site known locally as La Cività - the town - a name suggesting a lingering folk memory of what lay beneath. Although part of the site had accidentally been unearthed during building work in the late 16th century, it wasn't until de Alcubierre's excavations that the true significance of the area became clear. Over the next few years, Pompeii started to give up its secrets, and its status as an archaeological marvel was secured. This was the Pompeii that would later become a staple of films and TV documentaries; a UNESCO World Heritage Site also encompassing Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata.

As to why de Alcubierre was prospecting, it was at the behest of King Charles VII of Naples (later Charles III of Spain). In 1738, the same year he began work on a palace at Portici, Charles employed de Alcubierre to excavate at nearby Herculaneum, another settlement overwhelmed by the eruption of Vesuvius. Many of the objects that de Alcubierre recovered as he tunnelled through - wall paintings, life-size statues in bronze and marble, and even scrolls were destined for the palace.

TREASURE HUNTING

But this wasn't archaeology as we understand it today. The idea of systematically excavating a site in order to document it had still to be formalised. While Charles was genuinely fascinated by the ancient world, he was also a collector a privileged treasure hunter with ample means to indulge his passion.