Ancient wall collapses in Pompeii

Ooops, A cubic meter is 35.315 cubic feet, meaning the total was about 100 cubic feet of rubble, not 10.---BBB

October 22, 2011
Ancient wall collapses in Pompeii
By Peter Mayer | Deutsche Presse-Agentur

ROME — Italian Culture Minister Giancarlo Galan, speaking Saturday after the collapse of an ancient Roman wall in Pompeii, said he would push European Union officials to release funds to help safeguard Italy's archaeological treasures.

"There's absolute attention on the part of the (Culture) Ministry towards Pompeii, it is our priority," Galan said while inspecting the damage at the 2,000 year-old site.

Galan said he would accompany EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn on a visit of Pompeii on Wednesday to "show him the situation and to help unlock the 105 million euros ($145 million) of European funds destined for the site."

The wall, situated near the Porta di Nola entrance of the Pompeii ruins, apparently collapsed late Friday, probably due to damage by heavy rainfalls the previous two days, the ANSA news agency reported.

A portion some four meters (about 13 feet) in length from the upper part of the wall, the construction date of which is not certain, collapsed, leaving some three cubic meters (almost 10 cubic feet) of rubble.

Late last year, several walls and buildings collapsed at the site. One of these was a frescoed house where gladiators once prepared for combat, the Schola Armaturarum.

Italy's minister of culture at the time, Sandro Bondi, subsequently resigned after coming under fire for alleged negligence in safeguarding Italy's archaeological treasures, including Pompeii.

Once a prosperous Roman city, Pompeii was destroyed in 79 AD by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which killed thousands of people and buried the city in six meters (almost 20 feet) of volcanic ash.


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