Pompeii deploys flock of hungry sheep to keep grass short

Green lawn-mowing method part of plans for site which include reviving ancient vineyards

A flock of lawn-mowing sheep have been mobilised to trim unruly grass surrounding the ruins of Pompeii as part of an agricultural initiative for the site that also includes plans to revive ancient vineyards.

The 150 sheep arrived in Pompeii on Thursday morning and immediately got to work munching away in an unexcavated section of Regio V, a vast area to the north of the archaeological park. As part of a nine-month experiment, the flock will also be deployed to trim other grassed areas as well as maintain ancient and new vineyards as park authorities seek to boost the production of Pompeii wine.