User Reviews

In this interesting documentary, Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill takes us on a guided tour of ancient Herculaneum, the unfortunate sister city to the equally unfortunate Pompeii. Subjects include topics such as the architecture, art, religion, social organisation and cuisine of this ancient city.

Excavation has unearthed a whole treasure trove of objects, including wooden objects such as screens used to provide dining rooms with a degree of intimacy. Some of the objects betray the bitter suffering of the inhabitants ; for instance, there's a rather elegant cradle, carbonized yet still recognizable, which was found housing the remains of a tiny infant. The various finds even include the head of a fine statue, the "hair" of which still bears visible traces of reddish-blonde paint. High time to stop thinking of classical antiquity as a world of snow-white marble...

Herculaneum is also the place where hundreds of skeletons were found near or within the arches of boathouses. It is remarkable how much information modern archaeologists (and other scientists) are able to extract from human bones. It's not just remarkable ; it's frightening too. Given the constant discovery of new techniques, what will the white coats of the year 3 500 find out about OUR bones ? I'm afraid that this won't just be a case of "These are the remains of a middle-aged man with a limp" ; it may very well be a case of "These are the remains of John Smith, who was born in Manchester, spent his adolescence in Leeds, returned to Manchester aged 19, read law, became an indifferent barrister, married his girlfriend after she became pregnant, cheated on his wife with a secretary and died of a heart attack, aged 46, when discovered in flagrante with yet another zaftig brunette. Smith, who was a drunk, fell down the stairs age 30, breaking both of his legs in the process ; and you'll notice that he died exactly two hours after consuming the last of a meal of beef stew and spinach quiche, washed down with insane amounts of cheap Pinot Grigio".

Perhaps we should all start amending our lives, lest we provide our descendants with more amusement than is desirable... But I digress. All in all an engaging and informative documentary, although I would have liked to learn more about the Villa of the Papyri and its library (or possibly libraries, plural). Recommended.

The subject of this documentary is a straightforward one: presenter Andrew Wallace-Hadrill introduces us to the treasures of Herculaneum, the city close to Pompeii that suffered a similar fate as a result of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but which was covered under a far thicker layer of lava and other materials. As a result the city has been more perfectly preserved: through the work of dedicated archaeologists we can find out what Roman life was 'really' like. Wallace-Hadrill is certainly thorough in his coverage; with the help of other archaeologists he tells us about social life, food rituals, marriage and the life of the so-called 'lower' classes as well as the bourgeoisie. At times, however, the subject-matter of this program borders on the truly bizarre. We see two archaeologists enthusiastically examining pieces of ancient Roman excrement, to see what their diet was 'really' like. With needle-like precision they cut open each stool and examine it under a microscope. One wonders whether our descendants will do the same thing 2000 years later: should we store our waste products in plastic bags (or better still, air-tight casks) so as to render their task easier? Of perhaps more significance, however, is the way Wallace-Hadrill positions himself as the well-meaning Brit, speaking pidgin Italian with the natives and laughing at his cultural foibles as he tries to explain the differences between contemporary and ancient Roman eating habits. By doing so he constructs himself as the imperialist; the all-knowing seer possessed with the breadth of historical knowledge denied to the Italian citizens. As a result the documentary comes across as yet another attempt to reinforce western European (specifically British) colonial values - even if they didn't manage to create a civilization like that of Ancient Rome, they are still possessed of sufficient expertise to explain it to us, the ignorant viewers.