Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre facts for kids

Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre was a Spanish military engineer. He lived from 1702 to 1780. He is famous for finding ancient cities. He discovered parts of Pompeii and Herculaneum. These cities were buried by a volcano long ago.

Early Life and Career

Roque was born in Zaragoza, Spain. He also studied there. When he was old enough, he joined the Spanish Army. He became a military engineer. An engineer in the army helps build things. This includes forts and roads. He worked in many Spanish cities. He helped build military forts in Girona. He also worked in Barcelona and Madrid.

In 1738, he became a Captain. He was then sent to Italy. By 1750, he was a Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1777, he reached a very high rank. He became a Field Marshal. This was the top of his military career.

Discovering Ancient Cities

Roque was working for Charles III of Spain. Charles III was a king. While working, Roque found some old buildings. These were parts of the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum. He asked the king for permission to dig more. He also needed money and workers. The king agreed in 1738. But Roque did not get many workers or tools.

Even with challenges, he kept digging. He finally found the city's old theater. After that, he found many beautiful wall paintings. These were very important discoveries. He then managed to dig up the rest of the city.

In 1748, he started looking nearby. He began digging at another ancient city. This city was Pompeii. People thought it was a different place before. Pompeii was special because it was almost perfectly preserved. The people there were still in their homes. They were buried suddenly by the Vesuvius volcano. This discovery changed how people thought about archaeology. Before, people only looked for cool items. They wanted to decorate their homes. But Pompeii showed a whole city frozen in time.

Later Years and Legacy

Roque continued to dig in other towns. He explored places like Sorrento, Capri, Pozzuoli, and Cumae. However, after 1750, he had disagreements. These were with the people working under him. Eventually, he stopped leading the digs. Other experts took over his duties. These included Winckelmann and Karl Jakob Weber. They felt he had not handled the ancient items carefully.

Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre died on March 14, 1780. He passed away in Naples, Italy. His work helped us learn a lot about ancient Roman life.

See also

In Spanish: Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre para niños