A tourist from Kazakhstan has defaced one of Pompeii’s ancient houses by etching his name into a plaster wall. Officials quickly caught the man, who scratched the letters “ALI” onto the at the Pompeii Archaeological Park over the weekend, according to the Kazakh news agency ’s Diana Bizhanova. Park security notified members of the Carabinieri, Italy’s law enforcement, who were stationed near the park.
After arriving on the scene, they arrested the man. “Unfortunately, even today, we find ourselves commenting on an uncivilized and idiotic disgrace caused to our artistic and cultural heritage,” says Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, in a statement, per ’s Jo Lawson-Tancred. “This is a very serious act that will have to be prosecuted severely.
” Excavated in the early 20th century, the likely belonged to a wealthy magistrate named Lucius Ceius Secundus, whose name is inscribed on the site. It is one of the few residences from the late Samnite period (the second century C.E.
) still standing at Pompeii. Along with the rest of the ancient city, it was preserved in volcanic ash by the eruption of in 79 C.E.
The ancient dwelling is known for its unique architecture and vibrant frescoes, which were restored several years ago. ’s Jacob Muñoz described them in 2021: The vandalism at the site is just the latest in a series of incidents in which tourists have carved or written words on historic buildings and monuments. Just a few weeks ago, a Dutch to.
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