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Ancient Pompeii gladiator house collapses
Source: Agencies |
November 7, 2010, Sunday
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THE 2,000-year-old "House of the Gladiators" in the ruins of ancient Pompeii in Italy collapsed yesterday, sparking fresh debate on whether the government is doing enough to safeguard a world treasure.
The stone house, on the main street of the famous archaeological site and measuring about 80 square metres (860 square feet), collapsed just after dawn while Pompeii was closed to visitors, officials said.
Custodians discovered the collapse when they opened the UNESCO World Heritage site for the day.
The building was damaged by bombs during World War Two and was restored in the late 1940s. Officials speculated that the collapse may have been caused by heavy rains.
The structure was believed to be where gladiators gathered and trained and used as a club house before going to battle in a nearby amphitheatre in the city that was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Known officially by its Latin name "Schola Armaturarum Juventus Pompeiani," the structure was not open to visitors but was visible from the outside as tourists walked along one of the ancient city's main streets.
Its walls were decorated with frescoes of military themes.
Roberto Cecchi, undersecretary at the culture ministry, said that from first checks it appeared that parts of frescoes on the lower walls might be saved.
Measures were being taken to thwart further collapse, officials said.
The stone house, on the main street of the famous archaeological site and measuring about 80 square metres (860 square feet), collapsed just after dawn while Pompeii was closed to visitors, officials said.
Custodians discovered the collapse when they opened the UNESCO World Heritage site for the day.
The building was damaged by bombs during World War Two and was restored in the late 1940s. Officials speculated that the collapse may have been caused by heavy rains.
The structure was believed to be where gladiators gathered and trained and used as a club house before going to battle in a nearby amphitheatre in the city that was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Known officially by its Latin name "Schola Armaturarum Juventus Pompeiani," the structure was not open to visitors but was visible from the outside as tourists walked along one of the ancient city's main streets.
Its walls were decorated with frescoes of military themes.
Roberto Cecchi, undersecretary at the culture ministry, said that from first checks it appeared that parts of frescoes on the lower walls might be saved.
Measures were being taken to thwart further collapse, officials said.
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