Assess the new research methods and new technologies currently in use in the excavation of Pompeii and Herculaneum

New research methods and technologies have impacted on the excavation of both Pompeii and Herculaneum. The outlook towards excavations has changed as individuals now recognise the importance of preserving history for future generations. (good but remember I said add a lil more detail to show background knowledge eg. In very early excavations during the reign of the Bourbons in Italy, treasure-hunting was the main motivation fuelling excavations and excavators ignored the damage caused to the site by hurried, careless uncovering of the cities. As time passed however.NOW add your second sentence of the intro.)As a consequence, new technology and new research methods have developed such as the biological analysis of pollen, multispectral imaging, forensic medicine, physical anthropology, x-ray analysis, dendrochronology analysis and pottery analysis. The new technology and research methods which were employed provided further information on daily life without being destructive on remaining artefacts and architectural features. For example the plaster casts which Jashemski had adapted from Fiorellis method, determined what plants were growing in Pompeii and Herculaneum at the time of the eruption. The plaster of the plant roots was used alongside a biological analysis of pollen. As a result of this, she found that most produce which was produced such as olives, lettuce, grapes and asparagus were grown in market gardens. Also vials were found which suggests that perfume was manufactured in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Both discoveries provide us with useful information about Pompeiian and Herculaneum daily and economic life.Upon its excavation, the Villa of Papyri in Herculaneum, was found to contain approx.. 1800 papryi scrolls, which, carbonised by extreme heat and compressed by the weight of volcanic waste, was extremely fragile and made it difficult to unroll and read. Father Antonio Piaggio developed a machine in 1756 which was designed to unease the unrolling of paper scrolls (whilst his process was amazing for his time, this still however caused some damage to the scrolls and only recently has N.A.S.A developed multispectral imaging.) This new technology isolates the bond of light in the ancient inks to sharpen the images. It resulted in many illegible letters and words becoming clear and the ease of reading has been improved in general. This new technology has proved to be effective however it could be further improved through medical imaging which would remove the possibility of damaging the scrolls. In regards to the bodies found in both Pompeii and Herculaneum, Sara Bisel has used various technologies such as forensic medicine and physical anthropology to determine the age-at-death, height, signs of disease and population affinities of the victims. This new technology has been effective as it has helped archaeologists to gain an insight into the health and the lifestyle of the people living in both Pompeii and Herculaneum during the time of the eruption. Also an x-ray analysis was performed in Sydney on the casts of the victims from the Mt Vesuvius eruption. The upper part of the body would not fit in the tube of the scanner due to the protruding arms which revealed classic limb flexion of someone exposed to extremely high temperatures. An example of this was the Lady of Oplontis. This technology was to some extent effective in gaining an understanding of the extreme temperature exposed during the eruption however it disrupts contextual accuracy as the remains were removed from their actual site. To improve this, new technology could be introduced which analyses the bodies without damaging or moving them away from their original site.

New research methods and technologies such as dendrochronology analysis and pottery analysis have enabled for new interpretations to be formed. The dendrochronology was a method which was used to determine the age of trees by Peter Kuiniholm. He dated the timber which he found in Herculaneum. He found that it came from the south of Germany (cool but what does this suggest? If they are importing timber from Germany it suggests that Pompeii and Herculaneum took part in extensive trade). Jayne Pont, through her pottery analysis technique, analysed the properties of clay used in red slip pottery and identified minerals and matched it to the Bay of Naples. This was important as previous archaeologists had believed that pottery came from other regions. Her research suggested that pottery was a local trade industry rather than an imported industry. Also archaeologist Andrew Wallace- Hadrill suggested three reliable criteria for identifying brothels in Pompeii and Herculaneum. These included the masonry bed in a small room, sexually explicit paintings above the door and a cluster of sexual graffiti in rooms. He located brothels in narrow backstreets and interpreted this as moral zoning. However Thomas McGinn questioned the certainty of the criteria of the erotic art as he believes that was a common feature of art. He also rejects the moral zoning as he believes that there is no evidence for a geographical segregation of brothels. The main goal with new technologies and methods used in the excavation of both Pompeii and Herculaneum is preservation. Therefore technology can continue to always advance and improve in order to ease the possibility of damaging the archaeological evidence.

This conclusion is a bit stunted (for lack of a better word) it doesnt really sum up what you talked about. Start conclusion with a statement like as is evident or therefore, it is clear that new technologies have significantly broadened the field of knowledge available to arcaheologists allowing for the development from older and more destructive techniques to more refined modern procedures that have helped increase the effectiveness of conservation (EXAMPLE ONLY- write this in your own words!!!!) include what you have put in your conclusion above but I just feel it needs to tie everything up more- hope that makes sense!!

On the whole good effort, your topic sentences were good and the rest of the structure was fine- its just detail really and always remembering to make an assessment on every point you make- and of course have fun remembering this all :P

Seriously though, hows that study plan coming along?!?!