Ancient Pompeii gladiator house collapses

[Amelia]

Ancient Pompeii gladiator house collapses

Structure believed to be where fighters gathered, trained before battle

11/6/2010

ROME — The 2,000-year-old "House of the Gladiators" in the ruins of ancient Pompeii collapsed on Saturday, officials said.

They said the stone house, on the main street of the world-famous archaeological site and measuring several hundred square yards, collapsed just after dawn while the site was closed. Custodians discovered the collapse when they opened the site.

The structure was believed to be where gladiators gathered and trained and used as a club house before going to battle in a nearby amphitheater 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.

Officials speculated that the collapse may have been caused by heavy rains.

Art historians and residents for years have complained that the archaeological sites at Pompeii, among the world's most important, were in a state of decay and needed better maintenance.

Opposition politicians quickly criticized the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, particularly Culture Minister Sandro Bondi, for allowing the site to degrade in recent years.

[Liz]

Don't ya know that made the custodians sick when they went to work the next day, and discovered that?

[Amelia]

Another view

Italy's ancient wonders crumble from neglect

Poor upkeep of Palatine Hill top experts' list of potential perils

By FRANCES D'EMILIO

The Associated Press

updated 11/9/2010

ROME — Italy is rich in ancient wonders, but the real wonder may be that so many are still standing given the poor care they get.

The collapse in Pompeii last week of a frescoed house where gladiators prepared for combat was the latest archaeological accident waiting to happen. The structure was a piece of storied past that had survived the furious explosion of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. — but apparently could not withstand modern-day neglect.

"We're stunned when some walls fall down. But these are ruins not systematically maintained, so the miracle is that so few of them collapse," said Andrea Carandini, a world-renowned archaeologist who leads a panel of professional consultants in the Cultural Ministry.

Read the rest here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40093071/ns/travel-destination_travel/