DOS Pompeii between censorship and fascination: the collection of the Gabinetto Segreto at the Archaeological Museum of Naples

Abstract

Since antiquity, sexuality, as a sphere of human life, has been recorded, regulated, and discussed in various ways. Among the innumerous vestiges found regarding this aspect of our existence, some of the most notorious come from the archaeological site of Pompeii, in Italy. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which reaches the roman city in 79 AD, preserved buried objects of material culture such as frescoes, lamps, statues, pendants, reliefs, and mosaics, demonstrating aspects of the sexuality of its inhabitants. Excavated since the 18th century, these artifacts have been analyzed and housed in a special room at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, known as the Gabinetto Segreto. The history and organization of this space are marked by various nuances, involving restrictions on the public, closure, and today, complete openness, processes regulated by political ideologies and moral dictates. In this sense, the article explores the history of the Gabinetto over its more than 200 years of existence, and then discusses the “censorship myth” related to the space, an idea proposed by Kate Fischer and Rebecca Langlands (2011). To do so, publications in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro newspapers are analyzed, investigating mentions and receptions of the secret room and how they contribute to the argument that there was a myth of censorship at the location through accounts of visitors, travelers, and connoisseurs of the collection. Thus, the multiple meanings that Pompeian objects of - apparent - sexual nature have acquired over time are emphasized, especially in contemporary times with the advancement of research on Roman sexuality