$100 million donated to restore dead Roman city

In this story: Buried treasures await Buildings are infested with pigeons RELATED STORIES, SITES

LONDON (CNN) -- Up to $100 million is being donated to a British and Italian archaeological team working on the restoration of Herculaneum, the Roman city which died in AD79 beneath the molten rock from an erupting Vesuvius.

The gift, from the heir to the Hewlett Packard electronics fortune, comes with no strings attached as it is "non-commercial."

Sponsorship from global companies like burger giant McDonald's and car manufacturer Fiat had been considered, but would have meant promotional tie-ins, site expert Andrew Wallace-Hadrill told CNN.

Conserving the city, which was populated by around 4,000 people, is the main priority of the archaeology team, which includes Professor Wallace-Hadrill from the British School at Rome. But later they hope to uncover more treasures at the city on the shores of the Gulf of Naples.

They believe valuable frescoes, mosaics and bronze, silver or even gold objects lie under the ground. Rolls of papyrus and literary texts along with waxed tablets recording business transactions could also be unearthed.

Recently a room full of skeletons was uncovered down by the sea-wall where many of the city's inhabitants were waiting for boats to take them to safety when the molten rock roared towards them at 320 kph (200mph).

Already discovered are the luxury twin baths and the Villa of the Papyri which once belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law. It was here a collection of works by Latin poets like Horace and Virgil were once stored. The library has yet to be found.

"Beyond doubt there are treasures down there, but for posterity we must hang on to what has already been uncovered. We must be responsible for preserving the buildings of Herculaneum before further excavation," Wallace-Hadrill said.

Looting of the site was carried out in the 18th century and to dig for the treasure without first preserving the existing infrastructure would amount to an archaeological version of the same thing, said Wallace-Hadrill.

"There is an urgency to preserve it because it is in a critical condition with crumbling buildings that are turning into giant pigeon lofts." The first job is to rebuild the roofs to prevent rainwater, sunlight and wind wearing down the frescoes on the walls inside.

The job is expected to take at least five years and possibly 10.

Wallace-Hadrill is also anxious the project does not become a "fantasy" reconstruction. "One of the key problems with conservation of this kind is 'do you destroy antiquity in trying to preserve it?'

"The quick fix answer is that at the time of actually excavating such buildings they have to be reconstructed otherwise they would fall down."

The Italian Ministry of Culture gave autonomy to Herculaneum and the much bigger city of Pompeii, which was also swallowed by the volcanic rock, to enable them to finance themselves as though they were living cities. From the annual gate receipts of around $15 million the sites get about half.

"But that is a drop in the ocean with the absolutely gigantic financial problem the supervisors face," said Wallace-Hadrill.

The Hewlett Packard donation is a "very significant step" towards easing up the financial pressures on the project, he added, and sets up a model for others to follow.

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