Giuseppe Fiorelli Who was he Italian archaeologist Born

Giuseppe Fiorelli

Who was he? Italian archaeologist Born in Naples 1860 - Professor Archaeology at Naples 1863 -1875 - Directed excavations at Pompeii In 1875 he was appointed director general of antiquities for the whole of Italy. “Its hard to exaggerate his impact” Alison Cooley “Fiorelli arguably remains the individual who had the greatest impact upon the way in which Pompeii has been both excavated and perceived. ” Alison Cooley “Most influential of the archaeologists who worked on the site in the 19 th century” Estelle Lazer and Brian Brennan

Contribution He introduced a scientific and systematic approach to the excavations that previously had not been used at the site. Prior to that, it was more like ‘treasure hunting’. They did not record or publish any finding. They used the site as a means to showcase Italy and bring tourism and dignitaries through. In his excavations of Pompeii, he developed the grid system to identify Regions, Insulae and Houses. He also devised a system of creating plaster casts from the voids left by the bodies of the victims of Pompeii. He was the first to excavate houses from the top down rather than from the sides to stop the walls collapsing. In removing the volcanic material in reverse order it allowed a better understanding of the process of the explosion. Reverse order means that he removed the last layer of the volcano first. He followed a line of road so that he could connect different parts of Pompeii.

Contribution He introduced a journal of excavations at Pompeii where he noted in detail where he kept the finds, what they looked like and where and how they were found. He then published the journals. He devised a plan for the methodical excavation of the site. He divided the site into 9 regions, each containing up to 22 blocks of insulae. Each block was give a number that allowed clear identification of buildings by 3 numbers. The region number is in Roman Numerals, followed by the insulae and shop or house number. He gave modern names to the streets of Pompeii. Set up an antiquarium at the site. It held objects from the site so that they were no longer being looted or taken from the site. It was for objects that weren't considered important enough to be in the Naples Museum – acknowledging the importance of all artefacts. Interested in the site as a whole instead of the individual objects. He had an organised workforce that followed his directions.

Journals The journals that he recorded whilst excavating Pompeii, were published and allowed later archaeologists to find the areas he excavated and complete further excavations. While in the position of director General, he established, as an ongoing series, the publication of ‘Notices’ to alert scholars worldwide to new discoveries. MUST MENTION THIS IN RESPONSE GIRLS!

Plaster Casts The method of clearing the volcanic debris led to the discovery of cavities left in hardened ash by the decomposed bodies. Fiorelli devised a method that involved filling the void with plaster and left to dry before removing the cast and discovering the form of the victim in their final moment.

Evaluate His contributions have allowed later archaeologists to record where objects were found, to label buildings and to locate areas on the map. The grid system is still in use today – being used by all archaeologists at the site. He has provided extensive and detailed knowledge about the lifestyle and people who died in the explosion. He focussed on the overall history, not just individual objects or buildings. He realized the importance of publishing his finds so that other scholars could benefit from, and have access to, his scholarship. The plaster cast technique has now been used to discover more about other aspects of history, including being used by Wilhemina Jashemski to provide information about the plants and vegetation that existed at Pompeii. . He contributed to the education of archaeological students as well as the public. To conclude, his contribution to the site was significant for modern archaeology.