Particle.news
Download on the App Store
7 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Digital Imaging Reveals 79 New Inscriptions on Pompeii’s Theatre Corridor

Reflectance Transformation Imaging exposed shallow scratches that had eluded scholars on a wall first uncovered more than 230 years ago.

The archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii is seen, as it reopens to the public with social distancing and hygiene rules, after months of closure due to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pompeii, Italy, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
Tourists visit the archaeological site of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, as it reopens to the public after much of the country became a "yellow zone", loosening coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in Pompeii, Italy, April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
Image
Image

Overview

  • Researchers documented about 300 inscriptions in the passage linking the theaters to Via Stabiana, overturning assumptions the surface was fully recorded.
  • The newly seen markings include a fragment reading "Erato loves...", insults and bawdy lines, and a faint sketch of two gladiators fighting.
  • The work is part of the Corridor Whispers project led by Louis Autin, Éloïse Letellier-Taillefer and Marie-Adeline Le Guennec in collaboration with the Pompeii Archaeological Park.
  • Teams carried out imaging in two campaigns in 2022 and 2025, with the results publicly reported this week.
  • A 3D platform combining photogrammetry, RTI data and epigraphic metadata is being developed to visualise, annotate and preserve the graffiti for researchers and the public.