Ancient Pompeii: Declared An Emergency and Disaster Zone

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In A.D 79, the Mount Vesuvius volcano in Western Italy in a region called Campania, near the Bay of Naples erupted and destroyed Pompeii in a matter of hours.

And now, ironically nearly 2000 years after, Pompeii is facing the same disastrous fate but by the result of some 2.6 million tourists that tramp annually through the archeological site (now a Unesco World Heritage site).

The Italian government was forced today to declare a state of emergency at the site because of its severe state of disrepair.

Let me share a brief background whereance in ancient times, Pompeii of Campania was a fertile plain and was blessed with soil rich in phosphorus and potash. The region hosted some of Italy's superior olive groves and the mountains nourished thousands of sheeps.

Pompeii that was previously ruled by a great armies such as the Greeks, Samnites and Campanians was later occupied by the dynamic Rome after years of bloody wars. The Romans immediately sought to transform the simple Pompeii through Romanization and because of the area's natural resources, trade flourished and standard of living was raised.

Pompeii later begin to develop a sort of luxury services, much like what hypnotic Monte Carlo and the stylish coastline of Dubai are to us now. And as Rome itself became more prosperous, the wealthy citizens looked to Pompeii and Gulf of Naples as a relaxing vacation area as the Lake Como of its time.

The shorelines of the Gulf become the "chic" host to some of the splendid country homes of the most powerful people in the world, including Emperors, court personages and Roman aristocracy.

It could be said that Pompeii during the 50 B.C and A.d 62, became the epitome of luxurious and decadent lifestyle.

However all that changed on August 24 Ad 62, as Mt. Vesuvius had been dormant for as long as anyone could remember thus no one realized of its potential for danger. After shaking Pompeii with 2 powerful earthquakes, the volcano bursts open with an earsplitting crack -smoke, mud, flames, and burning stones swallowed the farms, orchard and grand villas.

The unfortunates were either killed by falling debris, fumes that first caused deliriousnes and later suffocating them or simply buried by the rapidly falling ash. Their bodies and Pompeii were covered by the volcano's minerals and mud in a layer more than 30 feet thick.

Fast foward the time, archeological digs began in 18th century revealed a city perfectly preserved by volcanic ash. Jewelleries, frescous, statues and ordinary objects were found left beautifully preserved in time. But the plaster casts of the bodies of victims provide a glimpse into the dramatic last moments of the ancient Pompeii.

And now, at least 150 square metres of fresco and plaster work are lost for lack of maintenance and irresponsible lootings. Ancient frescoes and mosaics have faded under the punishing sun or chipped away by tourists hunting for personal take-away souveniers or simply eroded and flaked by the millions of shuffling thogs and sneakers over the years.

Adding to the decay is the trash crisis in the nearby city of naples.

However because of the puzzling blantant of lack of fund (I mean, we're talking around 2.5 million tourists per year here) and short of staffs, a controversial solution was put forward:

Be it if that is the final solution, the last thing our history and an ancient site needs is the lack-lustre image of Las Vegas overlooking the beautiful artless Bay of Naples...