Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill

And in 1908, he was on the brink of persuading the Italian government to allow an international project financed not just by Italy, but all sorts of nations, America. He was an American, though he was a professor in Cambridge. And he was putting together the funding in a really imaginative way. And the Italian government got cold feet.

The terrifying prospect of foreigners discovering their most important site. The Italian parliament votes against it, and they back right off. So that when a new superintendent is appointed by the fascists in the 1920s, Amadeo Maiuri. Wonderful character. He's very young. He's in his early 30s when he takes over. And he starts in Pompeii in 1924.

The terrifying prospect of foreigners discovering their most important site. The Italian parliament votes against it, and they back right off. So that when a new superintendent is appointed by the fascists in the 1920s, Amadeo Maiuri. Wonderful character. He's very young. He's in his early 30s when he takes over. And he starts in Pompeii in 1924.

The terrifying prospect of foreigners discovering their most important site. The Italian parliament votes against it, and they back right off. So that when a new superintendent is appointed by the fascists in the 1920s, Amadeo Maiuri. Wonderful character. He's very young. He's in his early 30s when he takes over. And he starts in Pompeii in 1924.

And by 1927, he's leading a campaign, we've got to excavate Herculaneum. Look at this book by the Cambridge professor Charles Wallstein. Herculaneum is actually more important than Pompeii. Its potential is higher than Pompeii. And in my view, he's still right. And that still remains the case. Pompeii is pretty well excavated. Only one third of it is unexcavated.

And by 1927, he's leading a campaign, we've got to excavate Herculaneum. Look at this book by the Cambridge professor Charles Wallstein. Herculaneum is actually more important than Pompeii. Its potential is higher than Pompeii. And in my view, he's still right. And that still remains the case. Pompeii is pretty well excavated. Only one third of it is unexcavated.

And by 1927, he's leading a campaign, we've got to excavate Herculaneum. Look at this book by the Cambridge professor Charles Wallstein. Herculaneum is actually more important than Pompeii. Its potential is higher than Pompeii. And in my view, he's still right. And that still remains the case. Pompeii is pretty well excavated. Only one third of it is unexcavated.

And in truth, it's the one third of it that's least likely to be interesting because it's closest to the walls where they had vineyards and so on and less activity there. Whereas Herculaneum, you've got at least two-thirds. Two-thirds. That's historical. And you're right on the edge of the great public center of the site.

And in truth, it's the one third of it that's least likely to be interesting because it's closest to the walls where they had vineyards and so on and less activity there. Whereas Herculaneum, you've got at least two-thirds. Two-thirds. That's historical. And you're right on the edge of the great public center of the site.

And in truth, it's the one third of it that's least likely to be interesting because it's closest to the walls where they had vineyards and so on and less activity there. Whereas Herculaneum, you've got at least two-thirds. Two-thirds. That's historical. And you're right on the edge of the great public center of the site.

And the irony is the modern town of Herculaneum is sitting right on top of the center of ancient Herculaneum, and we can't get at it. We can see the edge of it, the edge of the centre. We can see it's really, really important. And you can't get in without causing the houses above to collapse, which is why Maiori stopped where he stopped. There were too many technical problems.

And the irony is the modern town of Herculaneum is sitting right on top of the center of ancient Herculaneum, and we can't get at it. We can see the edge of it, the edge of the centre. We can see it's really, really important. And you can't get in without causing the houses above to collapse, which is why Maiori stopped where he stopped. There were too many technical problems.

And the irony is the modern town of Herculaneum is sitting right on top of the center of ancient Herculaneum, and we can't get at it. We can see the edge of it, the edge of the centre. We can see it's really, really important. And you can't get in without causing the houses above to collapse, which is why Maiori stopped where he stopped. There were too many technical problems.

Without actually demolishing modern Ercolano, you can't complete the excavation.

Without actually demolishing modern Ercolano, you can't complete the excavation.

Without actually demolishing modern Ercolano, you can't complete the excavation.

No, it's not a Roman town. It becomes a Roman town by conquest. The Bay of Naples is on a really interesting geographical point of what you could call cultural collision. Meetings are sometimes quite violent between different cultures. The south of Italy is colonized, if that's the right word for it. New cities are created by Greeks.

No, it's not a Roman town. It becomes a Roman town by conquest. The Bay of Naples is on a really interesting geographical point of what you could call cultural collision. Meetings are sometimes quite violent between different cultures. The south of Italy is colonized, if that's the right word for it. New cities are created by Greeks.

No, it's not a Roman town. It becomes a Roman town by conquest. The Bay of Naples is on a really interesting geographical point of what you could call cultural collision. Meetings are sometimes quite violent between different cultures. The south of Italy is colonized, if that's the right word for it. New cities are created by Greeks.

And Posidonia is the biggest city that is near the Bay of Naples, apart from Naples itself. So there is a massive Greek presence in that area. But it's also rather obstinately local. And it's hard to know what to call the locals. You can call them Oscans. It's Oscan, isn't it? Because Oscan is their language, which is very closely related to Latin, but not Latin and proudly not Latin, right? Yeah.