The multi-story buildings in Pompeii were once luxurious villas with towers
A three-dimensional reconstruction of Pompeii has revealed that the ancient Roman city once had more impressive multi-story buildings than scholars previously realized. The findings were published as part of recent research in the Archaeological Park’s online journal.
Pompeii Reset is a project jointly developed by the Pompeii Archaeological Park and Humboldt University of Berlin, using digital technology to create a 3D reconstruction of ancient buildings that were covered in volcanic ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
The project uses the House of Thiasus in Regio IX, Insula 10, as a case study. This exquisite residential-commercial complex is named after the sacred procession of Dionysus found in the Holy Land. Colossusor the large paintings found in its ballroom. this Domus It is thought to have been previously owned by a famous 1st century politician.
During the reconstruction, a 39-foot-tall tower was built with two floors and an interior wooden staircase. The staircase connects the service room on the first floor to the dining room on the second floor, whose windows look out onto the city. Based on the damage to the walls, experts believe the structure may have collapsed during the eruption.
The researchers used ground-based and drone laser scanners, structured light scanning and photography to build digital base models. They then identified missing architectural elements such as beam holes, stairs, windows and ceilings. For example, virtually add missing beams and test the structural plausibility before producing final renderings.
This study also analyzes other buildings in the 9th arrondissement, such as the House of the Second Cenaculum and the House of Working Painters.
“‘Lost Pompeii’ consists of the upper floors of buildings that are crucial to understanding life in the ancient city. By integrating the data in the form of 3D digital models, we can create hypothetical reconstructions that help us understand the experiences, spaces and societies of the time,” Pompeii Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said in a statement.
Until now, there has been a long-standing misconception that the upper floors were used as rental units or dormitories for slaves. However, these reconstructions do not only demonstrate the high levels of wealth and power held by Pompeii’s elite. They also revealed that the buildings may be precursors to later medieval structures found in Italian cities such as Verona, Siena and Bologna.
Additionally, the renderings match the narrative and visual descriptions of the time. For example, Pliny the Younger’s description of his Villa Laurentina and the frescoes found in the halls of Pompeii’s Labyrinth House refer to these multi-story buildings with balconies, bridges and towers.
