Tomb raiders once dug through layers of ash and pumice stone, relentlessly searching for ancient treasures by candlelight.
Now archaeologists have uncovered tunnels used by early explorers of the Roman city of Pompeii, which, centuries later, was protected by a suffocating layer of volcanic debris when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. They also warned that the ancient site was still standing. is threatened by treasure hunters.
The tunnels carved through the walls decorated with exquisite paintings were dug by workers appointed by the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, which ruled Naples in the 18th and 19th centuries.
These were discovered in a large Roman villa recently unearthed in a newly excavated part of the town on the Bay of Naples.
Beginning in 1748 and continuing into the 19th century, tunnel diggers dug vertical shafts into the ground and from there excavated the ruins of the ancient city, which were covered by volcanic ash and pumice when the volcano erupted.
They catered to the demands of the Bourbons, who developed a passion for finding ancient Roman treasures and displaying them in their stately homes.
‘They were like moles’
“They were like moles,” said Alessandro Russo, one of the architects who recently discovered the tunnels. “They dug a labyrinth of galleries. They were very narrow and were lit only by the bare flames of the candles. There was a risk of tunnels collapsing. It would be a dangerous job.”
One of the newly discovered tunnels led through a magnificent reception chamber recently unearthed by Pompeii’s professional archaeologists.
It disappears past the large room that once overlooked a colonnaded portico and an ornamental garden with a fountain, and then curves around a corner.
Standing on the scaffolding, restorers carefully scrape away the dust and dirt of centuries, revealing magnificently decorated walls. Beautifully preserved mosaics made of colored marble are revealed on the floor.
While digging, Bourbon tunnellers used pieces of ancient terracotta roof tiles to support the tunnel walls and prevent the tunnel from collapsing.
British archaeologist Dr. who has been working in Pompeii for 20 years. “I’ve never seen a Bourbon tunnel like this or the use of ceramic materials to reinforce the walls,” said Sophie Hay.
“It allows us to look at the history of the exploration of Pompeii and the ancient Roman period. Tunnelers were looking for the best, brightest pieces to display in their palaces.”
Finely drawn images
Another tunnel, passing through a different part of the massive villa, damaged walls decorated with intricately drawn images of leopards, griffins, deer and swans.
As workers dug through layers of pumice and hardened ash that collapsed 1,700 years ago, they had no idea what they were destroying until it was too late.
The property is believed to have belonged to a Roman politician who apparently ran a commercial empire in Pompeii.
Next to it is a bakery where slaves and mules turn huge millstones in a dimly lit room that smells of sweat and manure. Just a few feet away from the giant grinding stones, archaeologists found a latrine where slaves could relieve themselves before returning to the backbreaking work of grinding wheat for bread. They came from all over the empire, from Britain and Gaul to Syria and Judea.
The tunnels caused enormous damage to such rooms, blindly advancing deep into the ground, breaking walls and destroying parts of the frescoes. Because they were after more valuable treasures, they at least left the frescoes and mosaic floors intact.
“They were looking for valuable objects such as statues or anything made of bronze, silver or gold,” said Raffaele Martinelli, an archaeologist who worked on the excavation.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, administrator of Pompeii, said the legacy of the Bourbons was not that bad.
“Without the excavations carried out by the Bourbons, Pompeii would not have come to light. It’s hard to judge them. It is easy to say that they caused harm, but there were no established methods and professional archaeologists at that time. Instead, these were mostly architects or engineers commissioned by the Bourbons. “They made mistakes, but we learned from those mistakes.”
The Bourbon tunnelers may have been consigned to history, but there are still underground thieves searching for ancient treasures.
‘Tombaroli’
In Italian, they are called “tombaroli”, meaning grave plunderers. These are generally local people whose houses sit on land around Pompeii that hides Roman villas that have not yet been officially excavated.
“Today’s tomb raiders use exactly the same techniques as during the Bourbon period,” Dr Russo said. “This is a big problem everywhere in the Pompeii area. They dig tunnels under their homes or gardens, so they are very difficult to detect. “You can’t see them.”
In 2019, authorities discovered an illegal tunnel running under a modern house on the outskirts of Pompeii to the ruins of a large rural villa in the area known as Civita Giuliana.
When they investigated the illegal dig, they came across a remarkable find: an ancient Roman chariot with elaborate silver and bronze decorations and a stable containing the remains of three horses. The chariot was known in Latin as a “pilentum”, a chariot used in ceremonies such as escorting a bride to her new home.
“Fighting grave raiders is very difficult because they operate over such a wide area,” Dr Russo said. “The good news is that it has become more difficult for them to sell their finds; there are much tighter controls on the trafficking of antiquities.”