Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
Neapoltical disegni, Herculaneum papyrus, Roman
College
Humanities
Department
Comparative Arts and Letters
Abstract
In 1999 CPART began working with the Biblioteca Nazionale in Naples to create a database of the unique materials which they possessed. These are the remains of the papyri which were found in the archaeological excavations of Herculaneum. Herculaneum was a town along the Bay of Naples which was destroyed in the same eruption that buried Pompeii. However, the eruption destroyed these two towns in different ways. Whereas Pompeii was buried in layers of pumice and ash, Herculaneum was buried in a super-heated landslide known as a pyroclastic flow. These different modes of destruction led to different modes of preservation. In Herculaneum the pyroclastic flow killed all of these bacteria and other micro-organisms which cause decay so organic materials were preserved. The most important of these materials was the papyri.
Recommended Citation
Reynolds, Seth M. and Macfarlane, Dr. Roger
(2013)
"Digitization of Neapolitan Disegni for the BYU Herculaneum Papyrus,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013:
Iss.
1, Article 666.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/666