But now lets jump forward in time… to that terrible day of the eruption, when the villa disappeared under an avalanche of pumice stone and rocks and ash. And then another jump, to the 17th century, when new eruptions and lava flows covered the site. And then one more jump to the year 1750, when it was re-discovered.
Remember what Hercules told you about the Bourbon excavations, that ‘mole digging work’ by lantern light?
That’s exactly how the villa was explored: by digging shafts and tunnels. But with the tools they had at the time, it was impossible to bring things up to the surface! But Karl Weber, the Swiss head engineer, felt that at least it was worth drawing. He managed to draw an accurate map of the main floor, where the library and gardens were located, based only on his measurements. He must have been a brilliant guy!
And now get this: it was Weber’s same plan, that helped a very rich man – Paul Getty – two centuries later, to reconstruct the Villa of the Papyri on the other side of the world: in Malibu, California! Today that life-size replica, called the Getty Villa, is the home of the Getty Museum, which contains masterpieces of Greek, Etruscan and Roman art.
As for our villa, in Herculaneum, despite a multitude of obstacles, recent excavations have reached the atrium area and reached the lower floors of the villa. This in spite of the water which continues to rise, and hampers the work….
So that, for now, is the end of our story about the Villa of the Papyri. It is still down there, waiting for you, with its many treasures waiting to be rediscovered…