Oplontis, 79 A.D.: colours on marble furnishing from the Villa of Poppaea

Abstract

The so-called Villa of Poppaea in Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Naples – also known as “Villa A”) was destroyed after the Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D. It is nowadays one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO. The building, one of the richest in marble furnishing in the Roman world, was excavated mostly during the second half of the 20th\xa0century. In this paper, only part of the sculptures and reliefs were studied. The furnishing were analysed in situ by means of portable and totally non-invasive techniques. By comparing the results obtained through imaging techniques with analytical data and archaeological research, some new information about the pigments and conservation history were obtained.