3 D Reconstruction of Pompeii house

See: http://www.archaeology.org/news/4890-161005-pompeii-virtual-reconstruction


"LUND, SWEDEN—According to a report in Science Alert, a team led by archaeologist Anne-Marie Leander Touati of Lund University has virtually reconstructed the home of Caecilius Iucundus, a wealthy banker who lived at the intersection of two of Pompeii’s main streets. Using handheld laser scanners and a drone, the team recorded the entire city block, including two additional estates, a tavern, a laundry, a bakery, and several gardens, one of which had a fountain that was working at the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The reconstruction of Caecilius Iucundus’s home includes details collected at the site, and scholarly interpretations of what the building might have looked like 2,000 years ago. "


I think this is the best video of it:
https://vimeo.com/185580667

This is another one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETd7pszxhnc

Fantastic reconstruction

Superb! As a child I loved looking at the "Then & Now" tourist books of Roman ruins with the original reconstruction overlaid on a transparent plastic page. But this is so much better.

I forgot to present the owner of the villa. No one could accuse the sculptor of idealizing him!

He looks Jewish, isn't he? Job description would fit nicely too.

LeBrok said:

He looks Jewish, isn't he? Job description would fit nicely too.

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If he looks Jewish, then so do a good portion of the Romans. Plus, I doubt Jews would have a shrine to the Lares in their homes. They were periodically expelled for not sacrificing to the Roman gods.

He looks more like Cato...even to the ears...although Cato's nose is a little less bumpy. Or maybe it's just Cato is younger in this bust.




That growth on the side of his face is definitely unique, however. I can't believe he didn't tell the sculptor not to include it. It's supreme arrogance, I suppose.

Angela said:

If he looks Jewish, then so do a good portion of the Romans. Plus, I doubt Jews would have a shrine to the Lares in their homes. They were periodically expelled for not sacrificing to the Roman gods.

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Isn't it an excellent reason to pretend believing in Rom approved gods?

He looks more like Cato...even to the ears...although Cato's nose is a little less bumpy. Or maybe it's just Cato is younger in this bust.

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Perhaps their "specific look" was picked up somewhere in southern Europe and enhanced by inbreeding?

I don't know why we would assume that a Roman of Pompeii, well known in his community, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Cato, is Jewish because he's a banker and has a bumpy nose. Banking was a respected profession in an urban culture like Rome's. There's no comparison to the medieval period when banking, because it charged interest, was not considered suitable employment for Christians, and it was often relegated to Jews. Even in Europe that changed eventually, however, primarily because Italians became bankers, i.e. the Strozzi, Medici, etc.

We actually don't have a lot of representations of Jews from the period, unless they're small figures in some triumphal frieze, doubtless because of the proscription against graven images. I know of only one where you can actually see the features.

It's Flavius Josephus, He looks Roman, although whether that was to flatter him or because it was reality, I don't know.





This is the profile view of the bust of Cato:


The reconstruction of a man actually from Palestine shows a very different kind of look, but as we've discussed, there's no guarantee those are reliable. He doesn't look Roman to me at all.



The reality is probably that Jews then, like Jews today or any other group, have some variety in terms of appearance.

Is Caecilius Iucundus the guy they based Peter Capaldi's character in "The Fires of Pompeii", from the 4th season of the revived Doctor Who, on?