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BBC News
Rare Pompeii dinner set unveiled
July 19th, 2005
By David Willey
Experts say it is the most important find of this kind for 70 years.
Thousands of inhabitants of Pompeii gathered up what few possessions they hoped to save and tried to escape from the firestorm and the clouds of volcanic ash and mud which descended upon their city.
Silverware stashed
One man bundled his family silverware into a wicker basket and ran for his life.
He hid the basket in a stairwell in some public baths on the outskirts of the city before being overcome by fumes.
Archaeologists checking on the building of a new motorway near Pompeii dug it up, next to the man's skeleton.
The wicker basket and its contents were congealed into a solid block.
Working with the latest archaeological techniques, including x-ray, experts have managed to separate the silverware, remove the heavy encrustations of the eruption and salvage them.
The remains of the basket are currently being treated with chemicals to preserve the vegetable fibre and are also expected to be put on show eventually.
The solid silver plates and goblets - all beautifully polished - were brought to Rome under heavy security guard for a private viewing. Together they weigh more than 4kg (9lbs).
I saw two exquisitely engraved wine cups, a set of small dishes, a large serving plate with an elaborately chased border, a spoon, plus some tiny, finely worked silver trays for appetisers.
Two other similar and larger hoards of table silver excavated in Pompeii during the 19th and 20th Centuries are on show in the Louvre museum in Paris and at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. But no new treasure trove of this quality from Pompeii has been seen for more than 70 years. It will be put on show at the Naples museum during 2006.
Vai alla notizia in italiano
Other similar news:
Roman treasure hoard offers priceless insights (december 27th, 2003)
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