The city of Pompeii was undisturbed by anyone for over 1,500 years. In the early 1700's, the only people that went in or near the city were looking for possessions under the rubble, or they were looking for water. One day, in the late 1600's, a farmer was digging for a well and he stumbled upon a rock that read, "Decurio Pompeiis." A historian during that era thought that this belonged to a Roman Statesman whose name was Pompey. He also stated that the rock was found where Pompeii once was. This historian and the farmer studied long and hard about Pompeii and where it could be, but didn't find anything.
In 1748, a man named Giacopo Martorelli persuaded many people to dig near the ruins of Pompeii to see if he could find it. By April, these diggers found amazing artifacts that were everyday objects to those that lived there. When the people stumbled on these artifacts, they did not continue digging for historical reasons. Instead, they dug for their own benefits. After three weeks of digging, they found a skeleton and some gold and silver. This caused them to want to continue their search for precious items even more.
Over time, so many beautiful things were found, including paintings, jewelry, and coins. Sadly, the people who found the artifacts that could not be sold or was not of worth to them, were destroyed. The reason they destroyed these items is because they did not want them to be sold or taken illegally. Also, when people were punished by shoveling the ash, they would steal some artifacts, so now we do not know where they had been found.
Today, the ruins of Pompeii is a huge tourist attraction. Every day about seven thousand people visit the site, but Pompeii is starting to die again. The archaeologists do not have enough money to preserve the site, so a law was passed stating that all of the ticket sales will go to the preservation of the site.
In 1748, a man named Giacopo Martorelli persuaded many people to dig near the ruins of Pompeii to see if he could find it. By April, these diggers found amazing artifacts that were everyday objects to those that lived there. When the people stumbled on these artifacts, they did not continue digging for historical reasons. Instead, they dug for their own benefits. After three weeks of digging, they found a skeleton and some gold and silver. This caused them to want to continue their search for precious items even more.
Over time, so many beautiful things were found, including paintings, jewelry, and coins. Sadly, the people who found the artifacts that could not be sold or was not of worth to them, were destroyed. The reason they destroyed these items is because they did not want them to be sold or taken illegally. Also, when people were punished by shoveling the ash, they would steal some artifacts, so now we do not know where they had been found.
Today, the ruins of Pompeii is a huge tourist attraction. Every day about seven thousand people visit the site, but Pompeii is starting to die again. The archaeologists do not have enough money to preserve the site, so a law was passed stating that all of the ticket sales will go to the preservation of the site.