This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
Deep beneath the pyroclastic flow that entombed Herculaneum in the devastating 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius, archaeologists have unearthed a three-storey noble house, the House of the Bicentenary, which is perhaps the most beautiful noble house excavated to date.
Although smaller than its neighbour Pompeii, Herculaneum was a wealthier town with exquisite architecture, much of which remains to be uncovered.
Its unique location, buried under at least 15 metres of rock, made it less attractive to looters and archaeologists alike, until the 1938 rediscovery, exactly 200 years after official excavations began at the site.
However, the 600-square-metre building was closed to the public in 1983 due to its deteriorating condition, including priceless wall paintings in the Tablinum.
Conservationists focused on two large mythological scenes and paintings of Dionysian themes, which were severely deteriorated.
"The reason we chose this room to study and conserve is because the wall paintings here are some of the most beautiful at the site, but also some of the most severely deteriorated," said Leslie Rainer, wall painting conservator from the Getty Conservation Institute.
After experimenting with different methods, a non-organic rigid gel solution was found, allowing the team to remove the wax layer and reveal a stable paint layer underneath.
The technique, which could be used to save many artworks threatened by the wax method, has been hailed as a breakthrough in the conservation of Herculaneum's art.
