Last fall Italian authorities conducted a simulated evacuation of villages on the slopes of the still-active Vesuvius. As part of the exercise, a search-and-rescue team "evacuated" the Villa of Augustus. The team winched two marble statues to the surface 30 feet above. They covered frescoes with heat-resistant foam and subjected them to direct flame. Authorities hope that when Vesuvius erupts again, they can save the now-exposed ancient Roman sites the volcano preserved in A.D. 79. (Photo not available online.)
© 2007 by the Archaeological Institute of America
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