Assess the new research methods and new technologies currently

in use in the excavation of Pompeii and Herculaneum

New research methods and technologies have impacted on the excavation of

both Pompeii and Herculaneum. The outlook towards excavations has changed
as individuals now recognise the importance of preserving history for future
generations. (good but remember I said add a lil more detail to show background
knowledge eg. In very early excavations during the reign of the Bourbons in Italy,
treasure-hunting was the main motivation fuelling excavations and excavators
ignored the damage caused to the site by hurried, careless uncovering of the
cities. As time passed however.NOW add your second sentence of the intro.)As
a consequence, new technology and new research methods have developed
such as the biological analysis of pollen, multispectral imaging, forensic
medicine, physical anthropology, x-ray analysis, dendrochronology analysis and
pottery analysis.
The new technology and research methods which were employed provided
further information on daily life without being destructive on remaining artefacts
and architectural features. For example the plaster casts which Jashemski had
adapted from Fiorellis method, determined what plants were growing in Pompeii
and Herculaneum at the time of the eruption. The plaster of the plant roots was
used alongside a biological analysis of pollen. As a result of this, she found that
most produce which was produced such as olives, lettuce, grapes and asparagus
were grown in market gardens. Also vials were found which suggests that
perfume was manufactured in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Both discoveries
provide us with useful information about Pompeiian and Herculaneum daily and
economic life.
Upon its excavation, the Villa of Papyri in Herculaneum, was found to contain
approx.. 1800 papryi scrolls, which, carbonised by extreme heat and compressed
by the weight of volcanic waste, was extremely fragile and made it difficult to
unroll and read. Father Antonio Piaggio developed a machine in 1756 which was
designed to unease the unrolling of paper scrolls (whilst his process was amazing
for his time, this still however caused some damage to the scrolls and only
recently has N.A.S.A developed multispectral imaging.) This new technology
isolates the bond of light in the ancient inks to sharpen the images. It resulted in
many illegible letters and words becoming clear and the ease of reading has
been improved in general. This new technology has proved to be effective
however it could be further improved through medical imaging which would
remove the possibility of damaging the scrolls.
In regards to the bodies found in both Pompeii and Herculaneum, Sara Bisel has
used various technologies such as forensic medicine and physical anthropology
to determine the age-at-death, height, signs of disease and population affinities
of the victims. This new technology has been effective as it has helped
archaeologists to gain an insight into the health and the lifestyle of the people
living in both Pompeii and Herculaneum during the time of the eruption. Also an

x-ray analysis was performed in Sydney on the casts of the victims from the Mt
Vesuvius eruption. The upper part of the body would not fit in the tube of the
scanner due to the protruding arms which revealed classic limb flexion of
someone exposed to extremely high temperatures. An example of this was the
Lady of Oplontis. This technology was to some extent effective in gaining an
understanding of the extreme temperature exposed during the eruption however
it disrupts contextual accuracy as the remains were removed from their actual
site. To improve this, new technology could be introduced which analyses the
bodies without damaging or moving them away from their original site.

New research methods and technologies such as dendrochronology analysis and

pottery analysis have enabled for new interpretations to be formed. The
dendrochronology was a method which was used to determine the age of trees
by Peter Kuiniholm. He dated the timber which he found in Herculaneum. He
found that it came from the south of Germany (cool but what does this suggest?
If they are importing timber from Germany it suggests that Pompeii and
Herculaneum took part in extensive trade). Jayne Pont, through her pottery
analysis technique, analysed the properties of clay used in red slip pottery and
identified minerals and matched it to the Bay of Naples. This was important as
previous archaeologists had believed that pottery came from other regions. Her
research suggested that pottery was a local trade industry rather than an
imported industry. Also archaeologist Andrew Wallace- Hadrill suggested three
reliable criteria for identifying brothels in Pompeii and Herculaneum. These
included the masonry bed in a small room, sexually explicit paintings above the
door and a cluster of sexual graffiti in rooms. He located brothels in narrow
backstreets and interpreted this as moral zoning. However Thomas McGinn
questioned the certainty of the criteria of the erotic art as he believes that was a
common feature of art. He also rejects the moral zoning as he believes that
there is no evidence for a geographical segregation of brothels.
The main goal with new technologies and methods used in the excavation of
both Pompeii and Herculaneum is preservation. Therefore technology can
continue to always advance and improve in order to ease the possibility of
damaging the archaeological evidence.

This conclusion is a bit stunted (for lack of a better word) it doesnt really sum up
what you talked about. Start conclusion with a statement like as is evident or
therefore, it is clear that new technologies have significantly broadened the
field of knowledge available to arcaheologists allowing for the development from
older and more destructive techniques to more refined modern procedures that
have helped increase the effectiveness of conservation (EXAMPLE ONLY- write
this in your own words!!!!) include what you have put in your conclusion above
but I just feel it needs to tie everything up more- hope that makes sense!!

On the whole good effort, your topic sentences were good and the rest of the
structure was fine- its just detail really and always remembering to make an
assessment on every point you make- and of course have fun remembering
this all :P
Seriously though, hows that study plan coming along?!?!