[Jewelry making - Article 00098] - [Orchid] Pompeii Silver

[CeltCrafts]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

    Hope this link is appropriate. Interesting article about a recently
    found cache of silverware items perfectly preserved by the volcanic
    ash

    Thanks!
    Kerry
    CeltCraft Beads & Jewelry


          Rare Pompeii dinner set unveiled  
          By David Willey

          http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4695097.stm

          A set of ancient silverware has been dug up from Pompeii, the
          Roman city destroyed by a volcano 2,000 years ago. The
          hand-crafted goblets, plates and trays had been bundled into a
          wicker basket by an inhabitant fleeing the erupting Mount
          Vesuvius in AD 79. 

          The tableware, well preserved in ash and mud, was discovered
          five years ago and archaeologists have used the latest
          techniques to separate 20 pieces. 

          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. 

          Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, in charge of the excavations at the
          world's first scientifically excavated archaeological site,
          told a news conference that the remains of up to 2,000 citizens
          of Pompeii out of a population of 10,000 to 15,000, trapped by
          the eruption have so far been recovered. 

          "But no-one knows exactly how many managed to escape," he
          said. 

          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. 

          Tight security 

          Italian Culture Minister Rocco Buttiglione, who attended the
          unveiling of the display, the property of the Italian state,
          said Italy was drawing up new measures to protect its cultural
          treasures, after the bomb attacks in London. 

          "We don't want to send out the wrong message," he said. "But
          at a time of rampant international terrorism we need to make
          our museums even safer. We are improving their security and
          that of visitors." 

          There will be an increase in security guards, surveillance
          cameras and the use of metal detectors. 

          Other tourist attractions such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa
          and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence have been identified by
          government security advisers as possible targets for attacks. 




____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________