In the November 29, 2021 issue of The New Yorker, there is an article by Rebecca Mead entitled “
Pompeii’s Hidden Layer” which discusses recent work on the area of Pompeii known as Regio V and new approaches to excavation that both protect the site and expose the lives of ordinary residents. Mead interviews Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, and asks how preservation of the site can be made as exciting to the public as uncovering new discoveries. Zuchtriegel notes that: “It’s very important to explain that archaeology is very complex—from the excavation to the restoration to the exhibition, analysis, publication, and study. It’s important to make this transparent, and share it with the public, so that people understand that archaeology is not about treasures and precious objects—that’s only a small part. It’s really about reconstructing the life of people in the distant past.” However, he also acknowledges that,” it doesn’t have to be so exciting. But we have to do it anyway.”
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