The populations of Pompeian city blocks

Recently I have had to think about the possible population sizes of individual Pompeian city blocks, and insula IX, 3 in particular. While the question of the total population size of Pompeii remains much debated and the estimates vary greatly, I have not come across many (well, none) estimates of populations in individual city blocks, if not including simplistic divisions of the total assumed population by the number of assumed insulae. And the only discussion I can think of on the possible breakdown of the population into different housing units is Wallace-Hadrill´s article Houses and Households: Sampling Pompeii and Herculaneum (In Rawson (ed.) Marriage, Divorce and Children in Ancient Rome 1991). Working down from a total population of 10 000, he divided houses of Pompeii into four quartiles on the basis of a sample study, and proposed a certain number of individuals in each type of houses.

Following his categorisation a total of some 120 individuals in insula IX, 3 can be suggested. However, if we assume that some houses were uninhabited or their population was reduced in AD 79, we must decrease the number. If we assume that the total population of Pompeii was greater than 10 000, or if we assume that upper floors of the insula housed more people, we must increase the total. The number remains very hypothetical.

Nevertheless I would be curious to hear opinions about the overall topic of population estimates, references to other estimates of populations of insulae and in general thinking about the spilt-up of the total population.

Eruption of Vesuvius in 1944

Just found this on the BBC WW2 Peoples' War website (an archive of people's war memories), and thought others might be interested ... It is a series of diary entries by Alfred John Boon, a British soldier stationed in Naples in 1944.

Mar 19th Vesuvius very restless.
Mar 20th Even more so.
Mar 21st Eruption starts. Could see lava erupting from crater. Go up to sites on sides to help evacuation with recovery vehicles. Earth tremors most of the time.
Mar 22nd Tremors during day with loud explosions. Night clouds of smoke with pulsating glows. Showers of ash falling. Continual equipment evacuation.
Mar 23rd Evacuation continues. Canopies on vehicles burnt by ash. Wear balaclavas and helmets night. Great boulders being spewed. Electric storms. Above the crater, lava runs as quick as a stream.
Mar 24th Pity the vineyard owners. Their yards are buried. Help them with their property if possible. Explosions are blowing doors open and causing some structural damage. “Red snow” falling today. Blows in everywhere.
Mar 25th Very little “snow” today. But some rain to churn it up. Material from crater, looks like billowing cauliflowers. Talked to a Volcanologist on mountain. Suggested it was a bit dodgy in their observatory. Said he stay there no matter what. Had waited for it for years.
Mar 26th Very quiet. Dust blowing out to sea. Most equipment moved. Not a lot of damage. Burns mostly to canopies and cables. In Torre Annunziata the dust was a foot deep.
April 1st-4th Visited sites Naples, Salerno, Sorrento. Went to opera Castellammare. Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci.
July 14th Took advance party to Lubico, near Rome. Passed through Cassino. How stupid to smash a place up like that. Didn’t do any good.
July 22nd Went to Scafati. E. and M.E. school, A.O.D. Pontegragnano, Pompeii ruins, and Castlamara, collecting stores and documents. (Not at Pompeii, that was a visit).

There is a great description of the eruption by the British travel writer, Norman Lewis, who was also stationed in Naples (and in charge of approving marriages between British servicemen and local women!), which I don't have to hand. But you can read a bit more about the eruption and the Allied reaction to it in a blog post entitled, 'Where’s a Volcano Monitoring Station When You Need It?'.

Tourism in the Mezzogiorno

A recent report from the Associazione della Città d’arte e di Cultura (Cidac) analyses cultural tourism in southern Italy. To summarise in a fairly crude fashion, the south doesn't get nearly the same visitor numbers as central or northern Italy, and a large number of its 'cultural cities' aren't even mentioned in the most popular guidebooks like the 'Lonely Planet' or 'Rough Guide' series. Naples fairs better than most, although tourist numbers fell last year due to the refuse problem (which STILL hasn't been solved in many areas - like Ercolano, where the streets are unbelievely vile). There is an interesting list of visitor numbers to major temporary exhibitions in the south in 2001 - 2008 (source). The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli dominates:

• Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli, Storie da un’eruzione, visitatori 256,134, anno 2003
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli, Argenti a Pompei, visitatori 229.014, anno 2003
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli, Ambre. Trasparenze dell’Antico, visitatori 195.574, anno 2007
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli, Arte e cultura in Cina, visitatori 129.793, anni 2005/2006
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli, Francesco Clemente, visitatori 126.718, anni 2002/2003 - Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli, Egittomania, visitatori 117.596, anno 2007
• Palazzo dei Normanni Palermo, Spitzweg, Baselitz, visitatori 103.980, anno 2006
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli, Jeff Koons, visitatori 94.003, anno 2003
• Castel Sant’Elmo Napoli, Gauguin e la Bretagna, visitatori 89.163, anni 2003/2004
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Capodimonte Napoli, Tiziano e il ritratto di corte, visitatori 85.002, anno 2006.

One of the points of the report, however, is that if these exhibitions had been held in central or northern Italy, the visitor numbers would have been doubled. The conclusion: the south is failing to exploit its cultural heritage. You can read more about the report here.

Event: Il futuro del passato: insegnamento del patrimonio culturale di Ercolano

Anyone interested in raising awareness of the importance and fragility of heritage at school level, may be interested in attending Monday's presentation. The International Centre for the Study of Herculaneum is working with five schools in the modern city of Ercolano, offering activities in the classroom and on site that help the children appreciate the importance of their archaeology, history and traditions.

Date: Monday 30 March 2009
Time: 10.30
Location: Villa Campolieto, Corso Resina 283, Ercolano
For more information: centro[at]herculaneum.org

Notizie degli Scavi On-line

Screencap of Notizie degli Scavi di Antichita' 1914 from archive.org
Skeletons found in the House of the Cryptoportico

As I was grading papers last term, I was really pleased to see that an undergraduate student had cited the Notizie degli Scavi di Antichita' in her paper on the Temple of Isis at Pompeii. Now, I'm teaching at the ICCS (a.k.a. the Centro) in Rome this academic year, and the student was a characteristically sharp and gung-ho centrista, so this sort of spirited pursuit of the raw stuff of an excavation was not entirely unexpected. But what surprised me was where she had found the Notizie -- on-line.

Perhaps this isn't news to fellow bloggers, but a number of Notizie degli Scavi volumes have been expertly scanned and posted on archive.org. Check it out for yourself. I haven't experimented with all the interfaces, but the handy flip-book option is like browsing, well, a real book (that's the screencap above). You can zoom in and get a closer look at the pictures or text, and -- best of all, from my perspective -- you can even do a search of the journal's text. The run of scanned volumes appears to start with 1878 and end with 1924, and I believe it is even downloadable for poolside Motel Villa dei Misteri pleasure reading.

Though the debate about digitizing books will undoubtedly rage on, this development certainly aids the research of people (like me) who don't usually have a full-run of the NSA at their fingertips. And even for our students who don't have Italian, such a resource might nevertheless open up possibilities for assignments or for interactive demonstrations of how we know what we know about sites like Pompeii.

Blogging Pompeii Social Event in Rome

A quick reminder to those of you in Rome - our first social event is this coming Monday evening. Details are in my previous post. I hope to see lots of you there!

Villa d´Elboeuf on fire

Photo source

There were reports yesterday of a fire in the Villa d'Elboeuf at Portici. There aren't many details, but it seems to have been small - rubbish set alight - and no-one was harmed. But this is actually the SECOND time there has been a fire at the villa in the past year. The previous was in June 2008 and was a much larger affair.

The photo above is from Flickr, and shows the villa from the train station at Portici.

A brief history of the villa: it is located on a promotory overlooking the sea near Portici. It was built in 1711 in Neapolitan Late Baroque style by Ferdinando Sanfelice for Emanuele Maurizio di Lorena, the Austrian prince of d'Elboeuf.

L'imponente edificio, di forma rettangolare, è costituito da quattro piani coronati da un tetto leggermente spiovente. Manifestazione del genio sanfeliciano è la magnifica scalinata ellittica formata da due rampe laterali che dal piano terra giungono al piano nobile, creando una terrazza chiusa da una prodigiosa balaustra in affaccio sul mare.Il piano nobile è scandito da coppie di paraste contigue decorate con fastosi capitelli cui segue una trabeazione a sbalzo con doppia modanatura e cornice che sorregge il balcone del secondo piano che corre scenograficamente lungo tutta la facciata del palazzo. Al piano nobile delle piccole lesene scanalate e decorate con mensole ed ovuli incorniciano le preziose finestre sormontate da timpani lineari poggianti sugli architravi modanati, tramite delle mensole; sopra il timpano campeggiano delle valve decorate con volute. I portali d'ingresso sono decorati, invece, con dei timpani composti da un arco ribassato poggiato su due curve spezzate e terminanti con delle volute; lungo le porte corrono delle particolari lesene che hanno, sopra l'abaco, un dado scanalato sul quale poggia l'architrave.Il secondo piano ed il terzo piano sono decorati con un altro tipo di timpani lineari poggianti su di una trabeazione recante un fregio; mentre l'ultimo piano si connota per la presenza di timpani tradizionali. (Source)

If I find photos or pictures of the interior of the villa I will post them.

D'Elboeuf had purchased the land from peasants because he had heard about the ancient marbles they had been finding there. He hoped to find more to decorate his villa and its beautiful gardens (supplied by a complex aqueduct that came straight from the river Clanio), and his excavations, of course, took place in the Theatre of Herculaneum. How many statues and pieces of marble d'Elboeuf took from the Theatre will never be known. Some were smuggled back to Austria, others were given to his commanding officer at Naples. He was forced to leave many behind when he returned to Austria in 1716. The Villa was sold at that time to the Duke of Cannalonga, Giacinto Falletti, and was eventually purchased by the new Bourbon king, Charles in 1738 because it was close to the fishing reserve of the royal palace of Portici (Charles apparently loved to fish!). Charles' son, Ferdinand, built royal baths here and connected the villa by a new road to the Portici palace.

The villa was cut off from its park by the construction of the railway line (I'm not sure of the date, but probably early 1800s - does anyone know?). It was then purchased by the 'Bruno' family and split into rental apartments. It is currently in ruins - and was in ruins before the two recent fires. There have been different plans to restore it in recent years. One wanted to turn it into a hotel, another in luxury apartments. Nothing has come of the plans (it can't help that the villa overlooks the train station). I feel really quite sad about this ...

Book: Marmora Pompeiana nel Museo archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Gli arredi scultorei delle case pompeiane

The latest volume is out in the series Studi della Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei this time on "Marmora Pompeiana nel Museo archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Gli arredi scultorei delle case pompeiane".

Collana/Rivista: Studi della Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei, 26
ISBN: 978-88-8265-474-0
Dati editoriali: 2008, brossura, 24,5 x 28 cm, 302 pp., Ill. B/N, 39 ill.col., 8 tav.f.t.
Codice: 00012188 Prezzo: € 220,00
Indice:
Ringraziamenti; Premessa; Introduzione; Sezione A -Regiones I-II-II (Nadia Inserra), I.1. Le Regiones I-II-III; Sezione B -Regiones V-VI (Anna Carrella), I.2. Le Regiones V-VI; Sezione C -Regiones VII-VIII (Colomba Serpe), I.3. Le Regiones VII-VIII; Sezione D -Regio IX (Lucia Anna DAcunto), I.4. La Regio IX; Sezione E -SCULTURE PRIVE DI CONTESTO (A. Carrella - L.A. DAcunto - N. Inserra - C. Serpe), I.5. Sculture prive di contesto; II. Le Botteghe; III. Sculture e spazi; IV. Temi iconografici e loro significato; Tavola sinottica; Abbreviazioni bibliografiche; Tavole a colori.

Available from L'Erma di Bretschneider

New Article: Shop Façade at ix.7.1–2

Hello all,

In the new G&R:

Potts, C.R. 2009. The Art of Piety and Profit at Pompeii: A New Interpretation of the Painted Shop Façade at ix.7.1–2, G&R 56: 55-70.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=GAR&volumeId=56&issueId=01&iid=4660200#

Exhibitions: L'arma per L'arte

Stolen Italian antiquities and artworks are about to go on display in Rome, Naples and Florence as part of celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Carabinieri division responsible for tracking them down.

In Naples, the exhibition is entitled 'Archeologia che torna' and will take place in the Palazzo Reale from 8th May until 30th September. As well as stolen archaeological finds it will feature objects from clandestine excavations. A large number are southern Italian or Etruscan in origin, their dates range from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD. Objects from Pompeii will include the fresco of a 'female figure' stolen from the House of Fabius Rufus around 1975 and recovered in 2008 and the double bronze herm (faun and Satyr) stolen in 1988 and recovered just a few months later.

In Rome, the Castel Sant'Angelo will host 'Antologia di meraviglie' from 10th September 2009 to 30th January 2010.
In Florence, 'Aspetti del sacro' can be seen in the Sala Bianca of the Galleria Palatina at Palazzo Pitti from 21st November 2009 until 6th April 2010.

I don't have any more time today to share the details with you, but you can read more about the exhibitions here:

• 1969 – 2009: 40 anni di attività del Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale. The illustration above is from this site.
• I Carabinieri “spada a difesa dei musei”.

Herculaneum on YouTube

Thanks to archaeologist Gianmatteo Matullo, who has set up his own film company Labyrinthos, some of Herculaneum's more recent discoveries have been captured on camera.

Each of these short films below can be found directly in YouTube, but I'll imbed them here for the ease of fellow bloggers:

Bronze statues of Apollo and the Ephebe

Tomorrow two Pompeian bronze statues will be journeying to the John Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. One is the bronze statue of Apollo the Archer, thought to have been found in the Temple of Apollo. In poor condition, the statue will undergo restoration at the Getty Museum.

The other statue is the bronze figure of the Ephebe, found in 1925 in the House of the Ephebe (I.7.10 - 12, also known as the House of Publius Cornelius Tegete). Dated to 20 - 10 BC, at some point the ephebe was transformed into a lampstand. The house itself has a lovely outdoor triclinium, so there is a good chance that the ephebe was intended for use during evening meals. At the time of the eruption, however, it had been dismantled and was lying on the floor of the 'tablinum' (room 15), covered with cloth. There are different interpretations of the reason for this! For more details about the finds in this house, see P. Allison's description. The Ephebe has recently been restored by the conservators at the Naples Museum. You can compare what it looked like at the time of its excavation to its present condition in the photo above. The Ephebe will be put on display at the Getty Museum straight away, and will probably return to Naples after a year - the time estimated for the restoration of the Apollo.

For more details of the loan to the Getty Museum, and the sources of the illustrations, see here and here.

Articles by the Herculaneum Conservation Project

I've been asked to share with you a list of the articles published by the Herculaneum Conservation Project team. They range from technical papers to pieces in popular magazines, but if anyone is interested in them do feel free to write and ask: s.court[at]herculaneum.org

Brizzi, M., D’Andrea, A., Sepio, D., De Silvia, M. & Court, S. (2005) Planning a conservation project: the information system of the Insula Orientalis I. In S. Dequal (a c.) International Cooperation to Save the World’s Heritage: CIPA 2005 XX Symposium, 26 September-1 October 2005, Torino, Italy: 691. Torino, CIPA.

Brizzi, M., Court, S., D’Andrea, A., Lastra, A. & Sepio, D. (2006) 3D laser scanning as a tool for conservation: the experiences of the Herculaneum Conservation Project. In M. Ioannides et al. (a c.) The e-volution of Information Technology in Cultural Heritage. The 7th International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage VAST 2006, 30 October-4 November 2006, Cyprus. VAST: 72-78.

Camardo, D. (2005) L’acqua: fontane e fogne. Forma Urbis X.3: 24-26.

Camardo, D. (2005) La riscoperta di Ercolano. Forma Urbis X.3: 27-30.

Camardo, D. (2006) Gli scavi ed i restauri di Amedeo Maiuri. Ercolano e l’esperimento di una città museo. Ocnus: Quaderni della Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia 14: 69-81.

Camardo, D. (2007) On site insights. Current World Archaeology 29, 66.

Camardo, D. (2008) Archaeology and conservation at Herculaneum: from the Maiuri campaign to the Herculaneum Conservation Project. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 8.4: 205-214.

Camardo, D., Martelli Castaldi, M. & Thompson, J. (2006) Water supply and drainage at Herculaneum. In G. Wiplinger (a c.) Cura Aquarum in Ephesus: Proceedings of the Twelfth International Congress on the History of Water Management and Hydraulic Engineering in the Mediterranean Region, Ephesus/Selçuk, Turkey, October 2-10, 2004. Babesch Suppl. 12: 183-192.

Cinque, A. & Irollo, G. (2008) La paleogeografia dell’antica Herculaneum e le fluttazioni, di orgine bradisismica, della sua linea di costa, in P.G. Guzzo and M.P. Guidobaldi (a c.) Nuove ricerche archeologiche nell'area vesuviana (scavi 2003-2006). Atti del Convegno Internazionale Roma, 1-3 febbraio 2007. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider: 425-438.

Court, S. (2005) Saving Herculaneum. Current World Archaeology 14: 42-51.

Court, S. (2006) The Herculaneum Conservation Project and learning initiatives. Teaching History 39.4: 38-44.

Guidobaldi, M.P. (2006) Una testa di Amazzone dipinta, Forma Urbis 11.4, 4-7.

Guidobaldi, M.P. (2006) L’Herculaneum Conservation Project: un programma di conservazione per salvare la città antica. Ocnus: Quaderni della Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia 14: 135-142.

Guidobaldi, M.P., Basile, F., Camardo, D. & Tommasino, E. (2006) Indagini archeologiche nella Casa dell’Atrio a Mosaico di Ercolano (IV,2; 1). Fasti Online Documents & Research. www.fastionline.org/docs/FOLDER-it-2006-61.pdf

Guidobaldi, M.P., Camardo, D., Esposito, D. & Tommasino, E. (2008) I solai e gli architravi lignei dell’antica Ercolano (poster), in P.G. Guzzo and M.P. Guidobaldi (a c.) Nuove ricerche archeologiche nell'area vesuviana (scavi 2003-2006). Atti del Convegno Internazionale Roma, 1-3 febbraio 2007. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider: 558-559.

Guidobaldi, M.P., Camardo, D. & Rizzi, G. (2005) The Herculaneum Conservation Project. In P.G. Guzzo & M.P. Guidobaldi (a c.) Nuove ricerche archeologiche a Pompei ed Ercolano. Atti del convegno internazionale, Roma 28-30 Novembre 2002: 9-18. Napoli, Electa.

Martelli Castaldi, M. (2005) Gli affreschi, i pavimenti, le superfici architettoniche: come arrestare il degrado. Forma Urbis X.3: 40-43.

Martelli Castaldi, M. & Court, S. (2005) I falchi di Ercolano. Forma Urbis X.3: 44-45.

Pesaresi, P. & Martelli Castaldi, M. (2008) Conservation measures for an archaeological site at risk (Herculaneum, Italy): from emergency to maintenance. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 8.4: 215-236.

Pesaresi, P. & Rizzi, G. (2008) New and existing forms of protective shelter at Herculaneum: towards improving the continuous care of the site. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 8.4: 237-252.

Rizzi, G. (2005) Ercolano nel contesto internazionale. Forma Urbis X.3: 46-48.

Rizzi, G. (2005) Il problema degli antichi elementi lignei ad Ercolano. In G. Tampone (a c.) Conservation of Historic Wooden Structures: international conference, Florence, 22-27 February 2005: 50-51. Firenze, Collegio degli Ingegneri della Toscana.

Thompson, J. (2005) La protezione e la valorizzazione di un sito a rischio. Forma Urbis X.3: 35-39.

Thompson, J. (2008) Conservation and management challenges in a public-private partnership for a large archaeological site (Herculaneum, Italy). Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 8.4: 191-204.

Thompson, J. (2007) Engagement in public-private partnerships for cultural heritage: the case of Herculaneum, Italy. In: ICCROM (a c.) Privatisation and Cultural Heritage. Roma, ICCROM.

Thompson, J. & Court, S. (2007) Learning Together: Sharing Conservation Decisions with the Herculaneum Conservation Project. In: Varoli-Piazza, R. (a c.) Sharing Conservation Decisions: lessons learnt from an ICCROM course. Roma, ICCROM. http://www.blogger.com/www.iccrom.org/eng/02info_en/02_04pdf-pubs_en.shtml

Wallace-Hadrill, A. (2005) Ercolano: case ed abitanti. Forma Urbis X.3: 12-16.

Wallace-Hadrill, A. (2007) Conservation in the shadow of Vesuvius. ICON: The Preservation Quarterly of the World Monuments Fund 1.2007: 22-29.

Wallace-Hadrill, A., Guidobaldi, M.P., Camardo, D., & Moesch, V. (2008) Le ricerche archeologiche nell’ambito dell’Herculaneum Conservation Project, in P.G. Guzzo and M.P. Guidobaldi (a c.) Nuove ricerche archeologiche nell'area vesuviana (scavi 2003-2006). Atti del Convegno Internazionale Roma, 1-3 febbraio 2007. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider: 409-424.

Wallace-Hadrill, A. (2008) Introduction: the Herculaneum Conservation Project. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 8.4: 187-190.

Wallace-Hadrill, A., Camardo, D., Martelli Castaldi, M., & Rizzi, G. (2006) L’Herculaneum Conservation Project. Oebalus 1: 233-272.

Friday fun ...

More plans for a replica Pompeii, this time by an amusement part in Rimini. Newsrimini.it are reporting that 'Italia in Miniatura' have plans to expand their park with a three-quarter size replica of the ancient city (they already have a model of the Forum, Basilica and Temple of Apollo - as you can see in the picture). They are also planning to construct a 17m high Colosseum on a 1:3 scale. Monuments that can already be seen in the park include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the temples of Paestum, the Verona amphitheatre and the entire city of Venice!

Lecture: Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, and the Grand Tour

On Tuesday 24 Mar. 18:00 Carol Mattusch (Mathy professor of Art History at George Mason University and guest curator of the Pompeii exhibition in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.) will give a talk on Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius and the Grand Tour at the University of Mary Washington. Monroe Hall, Room 104; reception follows; free; (540) 654-1023.

Lecture: New Excavations at Pompeii: The Discovery of a 'Lost' Pompeian Neighborhood.

Caught this one just in time (you didn't think you'd get away with it did you, Steven?!!):

Steven Ellis will speak at the University of Nebraska on 'New Excavations at Pompeii: The Discovery of a 'Lost' Pompeian Neighborhood'. 7:30 pm, March 23 2009 in Room 15, Richards Hall, Stadium Drive, UNL.

Bibliography, Fasti Online, 2008

The following archaeological reports were published by Fasti Online in 2008. Three are by Blogging Pompeii contributors:

• 104 - Lara Anniboletti. 2008. Il sacello VIII 4, 24: un culto collegiale a Pompei.
• 105 - Annarita Sorriento. 2008. Vico del Fauno, Saggio 2.
• 109 - Marco Giglio. 2008. Nuove ricerche nell’insula 7 della regio IX a Pompei. Campagna di scavo 2007
• 111 - Miko Flohr. 2008. Cleaning the Laundries II. Report of the 2007 campaign.
• 112 - Gary Devore, Steven Ellis. 2008. The Third Season of Excavations at VIII.7.1-15 and the Porta Stabia at Pompeii: Preliminary Report.
• 113 - Valentina Befani. 2008. Progetto “Rileggere Pompei”. Lo scavo nel tratto meridionale del vicolo del Fauno
• 119 - Maureen Carroll, Giuseppe Montana, Luciana Randazzo, Renato Giarrusso. 2008. Recovering evidence for the use of marble and coloured limestone in the first century AD in excavations at the sanctuary of Venus at Pompeii.
• 122 - Diego Garzia. 2008. Pompei. Regio VI, insula 2 - Aggere. Relazione di scavo settembre 2007 .

Conference: Karl Julius Beloch da Sorrento nell’Antichità alla Campania: Studi sulla Campania nell’Antichità

28 marzo 2009
Villa Fondi - Piano di Sorrento

9.00 Apertura dei lavori
GIOVANNI RUGGIERO, sindaco di Piano di Sorrento
GIAN MICHELE ORLANDO, sindaco di Sant'Agnello
FELICE SENATORE, direttore di ‘Oebalus’

K.J. BELOCH E LA STORIOGRAFIA presiede GIUSEPPE GALASSO

9.15 LEANDRO POLVERINI: Giulio Beloch nella storia della storiografia
ANGELO RUSSI: Appunti sulla vita e l'operato del Beloch negli anni 1873-1883 (dal carteggio inedito K.J. Beloch - Bella Bailey)

11.00 pausa caffè

LUIGI GALLO: Beloch e la demografia della Campania
ALFREDINA STORCHI MARINO: 'Der italische Bund unter Roms Hegemonie': alcune considerazioni
GIANLUCA TAGLIAMONTE: Le magistrature italiche nell'opera di Beloch e negli studi successivi

discussione

14.00 pausa pranzo

K.J. BELOCH E LA CAMPANIA ANTICA presiede PIER GIOVANNI GUZZO

15.00 MAURIZIO BUGNO: Neapolis e Pithecusa: un percorso storiografico dal Campanien' di K.J. Beloch alle più recenti acquisizioni
EDUARDO FEDERICO: Quell'isola che non c'è. Capri antica prima e dopo il 'Campanien'
GIUSEPPE CAMODECA: Puteoli e Cuma in età romana, da Beloch a noi

16.30 pausa caffè

LUCA CERCHIAI: Ripartendo da Beloch: brevi considerazioni sul popolamento di Nuceria e la Valle del Sarno
MICHAEL CRAWFORD: Strutture istituzionali di Nola e Abella
MARIO RUSSO: La Penisola Sorrentina da ‘Surrentum im Alterthum’ a oggi

discussione
Chiusura dei lavori

contatti: felice senatore
fsenatore[at]hotmail.com - 3290220387 (pomeriggio)

Archaeology of light

I am currently studying the ceramic oil lamps from the AAPP excavations in insula VI.1 and now have stratified assemblages from all the properties. I am due to start a PhD at the University of Leicester in October with Dr. Pim Allison and Prof. David Mattingly, with a focus on the social and economic impact of artificial light in the Roman world. The aim of this study is to assess the social and economic significance of the consumption of artificial light, testing the hypothesis that a reliable and affordable supply of fuel and lighting equipment was a major constituent in Roman urban living. Pompeii will be the main case study for this research.The study has three main objectives:1) Assess the underlying socio-cultural reasoning for lengthening the day.2) Identify the extent to which vibrant and diverse ‘after-dark’ economic activities contributed to urban growth.3) Estimate the scale of olive oil consumption for artificial light.I would be very grateful for any contributions to my research, and if anyone has any ceramic oil lamp assemblages from pre- AD79 stratified contexts, or any architectural data which would be helfpful, I would like to hear from you. I will be working in Pompeii for most of July this year if anyone would like to discuss my research. David Griffiths

Guardia di Finanzia at Pompeii!

While the unveiling of the new Herculaneum fresco was taking place at the Naples Museum yesterday, the Guardia di Finanzia were raiding the offices of the Soprintendenza di Pompei. There are very few details about what they were looking for, but the newspaper article I read suggests that it relates to irregularities concerning the concession of the main restaurant to Autogrill and of three kiosks (that will sell things like local coral) at the Casina d'Aquila to a local trader. The investigation may relate to proceedings set in course by the previous owner of the main restaurant. Neither Guzzo or Fiori have issued a statement yet. Let's see what happens ...

L’ultima scoperta di Ercolano

Just back from a press conference at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, where the Superintendency has unveiled the latest find from Herculaneum - the relief you can see in the image here. It's just been inserted in the exhibition on Herculaneum. The following information on it comes from the press release:

Un nuovo rilievo marmoreo con scene dionisiache è venuto alla luce a Ercolano il 18 febbraio 2009, durante i lavori di manutenzione ordinaria in un lussuoso edificio residenziale solo in parte scavato nella cd. Insula nord-occidentale.
Il rilievo era inserito a 2 metri di altezza dal pavimento nel rivestimento in intonaco dipinto della parete est di una grande sala decorata in IV Stile. Nel 1997 un analogo rilievo, sempre di ambientazione dionisiaca, era stato messo in luce e distaccato dalla parete sud di questa stessa stanza, ove era inserito nel medesimo modo e alla stessa altezza dal pavimento.
Sulla destra del rilievo, in marmo greco, si trovano una Menade danzante e una divinità maschile barbata, probabilmente Dioniso. Sulla sinistra, davanti a una statua arcaistica di Dioniso con il kantharos, sono invece visibili due figure in abiti femminili, l’una giovanile e l’altra adulta, quest’ultima con una mano sulla spalla della prima in segno di protezione. Problematico appare l’oggetto nelle mani del personaggio giovanile: un arnese o una fiaccola, forse in rapporto con un particolare rituale. Non è chiaro se vi sia un nesso narrativo fra le due distinte scene in cui è articolato il rilievo, realizzato da una bottega neoattica intorno alla prima metà del I sec. d.C, o se si tratti piuttosto di un pastiche in cui appaiono mescolati, o rielaborati, motivi e scene di argomento dionisiaco, che certo rispondevano a una precisa scelta del committente, il quale aveva prediletto questo tema anche per la parete sud della stanza.
L’uso di inserire rilievi di marmo (typoi) nella decorazione parietale diventa particolarmente di moda nel mondo romano a partire dal I sec. a.C., quando una committenza ricca e colta si rivolge al mercato antiquario per procurarsi originali o copie delle opere d’arte greca da utilizzare come ornamenti di prestigio nelle proprie dimore. Esemplare a questo proposito è un passo di una lettera del 67 a.C. (ad Attico, I, 10, 3) in cui Cicerone si rivolge all’amico per commissionargli l’acquisto di due puteali scolpiti e di rilievi di marmo da inserire appunto nel rivestimento pittorico dell’atrio della sua villa tuscolana.
Il recente rinvenimento ha permesso di documentare compiutamente per la prima volta la tecnica impiegata per procedere all’incasso del typos nel muro: il paramento in opera reticolata era stato scavato per una profondità di 5 cm e in questa sorta di nicchia il rilievo era stato alloggiato senza far uso di malta, ma con il sostegno di due grappe di ferro su ciascuno dei lati lunghi (m 1,08) e di una sola grappa sui lati corti (m 0,54), questi ultimi privati della cornice; con l’intonaco dipinto erano poi stati perfettamente rivestiti i bordi.

The marble relief on display here, which shows Dionysiac scenes, was discovered in Herculaneum on 18 February 2009. It was found in a large room with fourth-style decorations in a partly excavated luxury residence in the so-called north-west insula. It was inserted into the painted wall plaster of the east wall of the room at a height of 2 m from the floor.
In 1997 a similar relief, again with a Dionysiac setting, was removed from the south wall of the same room, where it had been inserted into the wall in the same way and at the same height from the floor.
Inserting marble reliefs (typoi) into wall decorations was particularly fashionable in the Roman world from the first century BC onwards. Rich and cultured patrons obtained original Greek works of art, or copies of them, from the antiquarian market and used them as prestigious ornaments in their homes. This can be seen in a passage of a letter dating to 67 BC (ad Atticum 1.10.3), in which Cicero asks a friend to purchase on his behalf two sculpted puteals (well heads) and, moreover, marble reliefs to insert in the painted decoration of his villa at Tusculum.
The recent discovery has allowed the technique used for embedding a typos in a wall to be recorded in detail: the face of the opus reticulatum wall was slightly hollowed out to a depth of 00 cm and the relief was placed in this niche without using mortar. Instead support was provided by two iron cramps on the long sides (1.08 m) and a single cramp on the short sides (0.54m) where there was no frame. Once painted plaster was added the edges were totally covered.
On the right-hand side of the Greek marble relief are a dancing Maenad and a bearded male divinity, probably Dionysius. While on the left there are two female figures in front of an archaistic statue of Dionysius with a kantharos (drinking vessel). The adult woman has her hand on the shoulder of the younger one in a protective gesture. The object in the hands of the young woman is difficult to identify: a tool or a torch, perhaps related to a particular ritual.
The relief was made in a neo-Attic workshop in the first half of the 1st century AD. It is not clear if there is a narrative connection between the two separate scenes, or if it is instead a pastiche where Dionysiac motifs and scenes were mixed or re-presented according to precise decisions made by the patron, who had chosen this theme for the south wall of the room as well.

Returns to Pompeii

Shelley Hales and Anne-Marie Leander Touati are currently putting together a collected volume entitled 'Returns to Pompeii. Interior Space and Decoration Documented and Revived, 18th-21st Century.' The book is a series of case studies of the ways in which Pompeian art and architecture have inspired reconstruction or reimaginings through interior decor, architecture and modelling. They are looking for someone who can contribute to the volume with a chapter on the impact of Pompeian houses on early 20thC Italian architects like Ponti.

If this is something you would be interested in doing, or if you know someone who might be, please email me and I will pass on the details to Shelley and Anne-Marie.

Archaeology of light

Returning to Jo´s proposal for an AIA session on the archaeology of the night (21.12.08).... I have not came across studies focusing solely on the artificial lighting of Pompeian spaces but Henrk Boman (White Light - White Heat, Current Swedish Archaeology 13/2005) has looked at some ways to enhance lighting conditions in insula V 1, as well as used Jo´s work (1997) as a reference to the use (amount) of articifical light in some commercial establishments. As far as I know he is also planning to continue with modelling lighting conditions in atrium-houses. Furthermore, our Finnish team has been hoping to do some modelling on the circulation of light in some rooms with multiple windows (and wall paintings): it there a play of light here? Would be great to hear more on this topic! It seems to me that insula IX, 3 for instance had at the end very few lamps....

Expeditio Pompeiana Universitatis Helsingiensis

Expeditio Pompeiana Universitatis Helsingiensis´ field season 09 will take place 3.-30.5.2009. Please do come to visit us! We should be easy to find as we shall be working mainly in IX, 3.1-2 along the Via Stabiana (just to the South of the Central Baths). See http://www.helsinki.fi/hum/kla/epuh/epuh_eng.htm for what we are doing.

Ercolano. Nuova scoperta rilievo marmoreo

Vi segnalo questa breve notizia pubblicata su un quotidiano di oggi.
DOMENICA, 15 MARZO 2009 LA REPUBBLICA - Napoli

Nuova scoperta ad Ercolano: un rilievo marmoreo con scene dionisiache venuto fuori durante dei lavori di manutenzione. Il reperto viene da un lussuoso edificio dell´Insula nord-occidentale, solo in parte scavata. Da mercoledì prossimo, il rilievo sarà esposto al Museo Archeologico Nazionale nella mostra "Ercolano. Tre secoli di scoperte".

Petition to keep Guzzo in position

This concerns us all:

Cari colleghi,
ancora una volta vi chiedo di intervenire presso il Ministro della Cultura italiano per garantire la migliore gestione possibile di Pompei e di Napoli. Come sapete, Pietro Giovanni Guzzo è attualmente responsabile di questa vasta area e fra qualche mese dovrà lasciare il servizio per limiti di età. Tuttavia, è discrezione del Ministro la possibilità di concedere altri due anni di servizio. Vi sottopongo dunque l'appello dei funzionari e di studiosi perché ciò possa verificarsi.
Cordiali saluti
Fabrizio Pesando

Dear colleagues,
Once again I am writing to ask you to intercede with the Italian Minister of Culture to ensure the best possible management of Pompeii and Naples. As you know, Pietro Giovanni Guzzo is currently responsible for this huge area, but in a few months he is due to leave the service as he reaches retirement age. However, the Minister has the discretion to grant a further two years of service. I would therefore like to invite you to join with the superintendency archaeologists and scholars in calling for this to happen.
Sincerely,
Fabrizio Pesando

Please email Fabrizio Pesando at fpesando@unior.it to add your names to the petition.

Oxbow Books bargain - Jashemski's Natural History

The wonderful Oxbow Books have a new set of bargains on selected books, including:

Jashemski, W.F. & Meyer, F.G. (eds) (2002) The Natural History of Pompeii. Cambridge University Press.
Normal price: £147
Oxbow price: £49.95

For more details go to the Oxbow website.

1a Rassegna del Cinema Archeologico di Stabia

26-29 marzo 2009 - proiezione documentari, premio Stabiae, tavola rotonda, visite guidate
Istituto Internazionale Vesuviano per l'Archeologia e le Scienze Umane
Via Salario 12
80053 Castellammare di Stabia
http://www.maremaremare.it/

giovedì 26 marzo
ore 21.00 Venezia e la Galea perduta (Marco Visalberghi, Italia - Francia, 80')

venerdì 27 marzo
ore 18.30 L'Enigma del Polluce (Pippo Cappellano, Italia, 53')
ore 21.00 Nemi, il mistero sommerso del lago (Massimo My, Italia, 52')

sabato 28 marzo
ore 16.00 Ercolano, gli scheletri del mistero (Marco Visalberghi, Italia-Francia, 52')
Tavola rotonda sull'Archeologia Vesuviana (videoproiezione di Massimo D'Alessandro)
Presentazione di Archeologia Viva con lo speciale su Stabiae
L'imperatore dei mari, i viaggi di Zheng He (Keiko Hakihara Bang, Singapore, 53')
L'arte breve, il chirurgo di Ariminum (Adolfo Conti, Italia, 38')
ore 22.00 Assegnazione del premio "Stabiae" al film più gradito al pubblico

Friday fun ...

To celebrate the start of the weekend here are couple of the more entertaining snippets I have come across recently.

• If you are in New York between April 16 – 26, 2009, you could go to see a dramatic new musical called ‘Shadows of Vesuvius’ at the 42nd Street Moon theatre. Billed as a ‘saga of Romans living in the seaside village of Pompeii in AD 79’, the musical was written by R.C. Staub and K. Herrmann and will feature a cast of nine actors.
• Catch up with Capitan Ventosa's adventures in modern Pompei, including a UTube video.

As a piece of weekend fun (yes, I am that sad), can you tell me which famous people you have either seen personally in the scavi or have seen pictures of? I recently found photos of Peter O' Toole and Petula Clarke at Pompeii during the filming of 'Goodbye Mr. Chips' in 1968. It got me wondering about other famous visitors to the excavations in recent years. I have this photo of Picasso in my collection ...

New Field School 2009

We're happy to announce the first formal season for a new Field School and research project at Pompeii. Please pass on to any students interested in working at Pompeii. Details here:

THE POMPEII FIELD SCHOOL 2009
July 4 – August 1 2009

Directors:
Dr Rick Jones, University of Bradford, UK
Prof. dr. Wolfgang Ehrhardt, Universität Freiburg, Germany
Field Director:
Timothy Webb, University of Bradford, UK

The Research Project
We are pleased to announce the first season of a Field School related to a new research project, Social Hierarchy in Pompeii. This will investigate the inter-relations of the wide spectrum of urban society represented in Insula V, 2 at Pompeii. At the centre of the block is the Casa delle Nozze d’Argento, one of the largest and most impressive elite houses in the city, on which Wolfgang Ehrhardt has published the definitive monograph. This project will set that house in the spatial and chronological contexts of its neighbors, which include bars, shops, workshops and medium sized houses. The Field School will follow the same principles successfully established by the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii, which ran from 1995 to 2006, co-directed by Rick Jones.

The 2009 Field School
Joining the 2009 Field School offers the opportunity to join a small team to be a part of the beginning of this project. In succeeding seasons selective excavation will be carried out in Insula V,2. However the 2009 season will be committed to recording and analyzing key properties within the insula and to establishing where it will be possible to excavate. These results will define the strategy followed in future seasons. The 2009 Field School will therefore feature:

· Training in the analytical recording of the Roman standing buildings at Pompeii following stratigraphic principles
· Training in systematic field recording
· Close supervision by our international staff (our planned ratio is 1 member of staff to 3 or 4 students)
· Detailed assessment of skills and performance that can be used for college credit, accredited by the University of Bradford
· Organized visits to important archaeological sites in the Vesuvius region, including Herculaneum and the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

The all-in program fee for 2009 is 3200 euros. This covers all tuition costs and academic credits, equipment, project handbook, campground fees, meals, visits, and project insurance. Students need to pay for their own travel to Pompeii and personal health and travel insurance, and to provide their own tent. This price is expressed in euros, because most of our costs are paid out in euros. Given the volatility of the currency rates in recent months we have fixed the price in euros. We are however very happy to receive payment in other currencies at the rate current when you pay the fees. In February 2009 the US $ equivalent is approximately $4100.

The team will be staying at Camping Spartacus in Pompeii, a few minutes walk from the ancient city. This is a modern fully equipped, family-run campsite. It has a restaurant, bar and shop, as well as laundry facilities.

To apply please send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation to our Field Director Timothy Webb t.webb@bradford.ac.uk

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at archsci-pompeii@bradford.ac.uk and we will do our best to help. We do believe this is a great opportunity to experience working on the archaeology of Pompeii at first hand, at the start of a new field research project carried out in one of the world’s most famous sites.

Mansions In Pompeii: Ideal Measurements Of A Pre-Roman Model

An interesting article about Noor van Krimpen’s research at Pompeii has just come out in Science Daily. Her metrological analysis of eighteen houses demonstrates that architects in Pompeii were working according to geometric figures and proportions, resulting in a standard set of ratios. This means that, despite common features in the houses, each was able to maintain an individual character. Adaptations to each house could then be made according to particularly circumstances. It’s an interesting – but short – article. (Source and citation.) Let’s hope for proper publication of her research soon. In the meantime, congratulations to Noor on her recent and successful defence of her Ph.D at Leiden!

Just noticed that this article was picked up by Rogue Classicism, too.

MAV - Museo Archeologico Virtuale, Ercolano

Jo posted about the MAV (Virtual Archaeology Museum) in January, but communal silence suggests that none of you have visited yet?
It's an interesting place that has caused much discussion in Ercolano. Some scholars have criticised the quality of the reconstructions (it seems that there was a lack of consultation with archaeologists on the content), but you can't criticise the amount of technology involved. It has been a huge hit with the local community - and some 20,000 people visited in the first three months of opening (opened August 2008). Most non-scholars I've spoken to were very impressed - and school teachers are thrilled about having somewhere to take their classes that allows more interaction that an archaeological site.
An actual visit involves looking at a series of reconstructions of the Vesuvian sites, including interactives, and does help normal vistors (non-scholars) to understand better how a Roman city might have been, however picky we might be about details.
Interestingly the MAV itself only takes up one floor of the building it's housed in, with exhibitions regularly on display on the ground floor on a variety of subjects (the best so far was on the contemporary religious following of the Madonna dell'Arco). Other areas of the building are due to open, including a cafe space - all part of the Urban Herculaneum programme to improve the city for visitors.
Anyone interested in popping in can find the MAV on Via IV Novembre - so as you're coming down the main road from the Circumvesuviana station to site, you find it on your right.
http://www.museomav.com/

Stolen Boscoreale fresco, for the third time

More details about the Boscoreale fresco stolen at an unknown time (still can’t believe that …) have emerged (see my previous posts) . Matteo Della Corte described the fresco in the Notizie degli Scavi in 1921. It was discovered in room 22 of the Villa of Asellius, which was located only a short distance from the Pisanella Villa. Both villas were discovered on land owned by Giuseppe De Martino and were excavated by Vincenzo De Prisco (the man who sold the Pisanella silver to the Louvre).

The Villa of Asellius was so-named after the discovery of a bronze seal bearing the name ‘Asellius’; it is claimed that Asellius was either the owner or steward of the villa. Apparently the villa was square in plan. It has been described as one of the most interesting working villas found in the territory of Boscoreale because – unlike other villas in this area – it lacked areas both for storing foodstuffs and for processing them. All the rooms around the large peristyle were decorated with wall-paintings and there was a bath complex. The villa was excavated over a two-year period, stripped of its finds and paintings, and reburied. Finds were scarce (a few coins, some pottery and a few silver and bronze vessels) and it is thought that the villa had already been explored by salvagers in ancient times. Another fresco from this villa was also stolen at an unknown time, but was recovered several years ago. (Source). There's an article about the villa and its paintings by Greta Stefani ('Boscoreale: la Villa di Asellius e le sue pitture') in Rivista di Studi Pompeiani IX (1998), 41ff.

Bookshop Bardi Editore
PALAZZO CORSINI - Roma
Via della Lungara, 10 - piano terra
Tel 06/68027211 - 06/4817656
bookshop@bardieditore.com

Presenta

ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DEI LINCEI
CENTRO LINCEO INTERDISCIPLINARE «BENIAMINO SEGRE»
19 marzo 2009
Palazzina dell’Auditorio – Via della Lungara 230 – 00165 Roma
Fino alle ore 10 è possibile l’accesso per le automobili da Lungotevere della Farnesina, 10

PROGRAMMA

Lezioni Lincee di Archeologia
Ercolano: gli scavi, un progetto, una mostra
Il Centro Linceo Interdisciplinare “Beniamino Segre” organizza una giornata di studio per gli studenti ed i professori delle Scuole secondarie superiori. Questo incontro intende offrire una chiara descrizione di alcune problematiche affrontate dall’Archeologia anche al fine di rendere più consapevole la scelta universitaria.
Accademico organizzatore: Fausto ZEVI (Università di Roma "La Sapienza")

Giovedì 19 marzo 2009
9.00 Indirizzi di saluto
9.15 Fausto ZEVI (Università di Roma "La Sapienza"): Le prime scoperte
Carlo GASPARRI (Università di Napoli Federico II): La villa dei Papiri e le sue collezioni
Maria Paola GUIDOBALDI (Direttore degli Scavi di Ercolano): La Villa dei Papiri: le nuove scoperte
11.30 Intervallo
11.45 Andrew WALLACE-HADRILL (Direttore della British School - Roma): La città: spiaggia, fogne e basilica
Pietro Giovanni GUZZO (Soprintendente per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei): Ercolano in mostra al Museo di Napoli

Posted on behalf of Laurentino Garcia y Garcia.

Impact of funding cut-backs

An interesting article on StabiaNews the other day. The massive cuts in funding to cultural sites and museums in Campania will shortly result in reduced opening hours at many of these. Basic maintenance will be also affected: at Paestum, for example, the grass will be cut back, but at Velia it won’t. It will start getting difficult to visit sites like Velia within a couple of months. Pompeii and the other Vesuvian sites are lucky in this respect. Financial independence means that they are not affected by the cut-backs.

Convegno: In viaggio a Pompei, 27 – 28 Marzo 2009

Another conference in the same weekend as the Beloch conference, this one entitled ‘In viaggio a Pompei. Scrittori, artisti e giornalisti raccontano la città (1861 – 2009)’, to be held in the Casa del Pellegrino at Pompei. Click on the image for the conference programme and other details.

Bibliography

The latest 'Greece and Rome' is out and includes the following article:

Charlotte R. Potts, 'The Art of Piety and Profit at Pompeii: A New Interpretation of the Painted Shop Façade at ix.7.1–2'. Greece and Rome 56.1 (April 2009), 55 - 70.

[See Pompeii in Pictures for photos of the shop front.]

Project calendar

Blog contributors: I have just added a link from Blogging Pompeii to the Pompeiana.org calendar. It would be great if you could add your project dates (or other dates when you will be around) to the calendar. If you supply an email address or other means of contact, other projects or scholars working in Pompeii or the other sites in the same period will be able to contact you.

Who was *Guido* Spinazzola?

A request for help from my BloggingPompeii colleagues: I'm working on a project about excavation photographs taken during Vittorio Spinazzola's excavations along the Via dell'Abbondanza. There's plenty that's fascinating about them (as I hope you can see in the above photo of excavations in the House of Octavius Quartio): among other attributes, their emphasis on the process of excavation, their presentation of reconstructed stage sets of Pompeian life, and the artistic sensibility that infuses the shots.

For a while I had little luck tracking down anything about the relationship between photographers and excavators other than the very obvious point that the latter had a distinct taste for appearing frequently and prominently in the images. I've recently discovered, however, that Vittorio Spinazzola appears to have employed two photographers in sequence. The first, Domenico Losacco De Gioia, had an extensive track record in the artistic world of Naples. The second has a very suggestive name -- Guido Spinazzola. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to dig up anything about him. Does anyone happen to know much about the Spinazzola family tree or have any suggestions about where I might find out more? Your help is very appreciated.

Convegno su Karl Julius Beloch e la Campania antica

La rivista Oebalus. Studi sulla Campania nell'Antichità
con i Comuni di Piano di Sorrento e di Sant'Agnello vi invita a partecipare al convegno:

Karl Julius Beloch da Sorrento nell'Antichità alla Campania
convegno storiografico in memoria di Claudio Ferone

28 marzo 2009

Villa Fondi - Piano di Sorrento (NA)

ore 9,00 apertura dei lavori

sessione storiografica - presiede Giuseppe Galasso

Leandro Polverini
'Giulio Beloch nella storia della storiografia'

Angelo Russi
'Appunti sulla vita e l'operato del Beloch negli anni 1873-
1883 (dal carteggio inedito K.J. Beloch - Bella Bailey)'

11.00 pausa caffé

Luigi Gallo
'Beloch e la demografia della Campania'

Alfredina Storchi Marino
'Considerazioni sull'opera storiografica di Karl Julius Beloch'

Gianluca Tagliamonte
'Le magistrature italiche nell'opera di Beloch e
negli studi successivi'

discussione

14.00 pausa pranzo

sessione storico-archeologica - presiede Pier Giovanni Guzzo

Maurizio Bugno
'Neapolis e Pithecusa: un percorso storiografico dal 'Campanien'di K.J. Beloch alle più recenti acquisizioni'

Eduardo Federico
'Quell'isola che non c'è. Capri antica prima e dopo il 'Campanien''

Giuseppe Camodeca
'Puteoli e Cuma in età romana, da Beloch a noi'

16.30 pausa caffé

Luca Cerchiai
'Ripartendo da Beloch: brevi considerazioni sul popolamento di Nuceria e la Valle del Sarno'

Michael Crawford
'Strutture istituzionali di Nola e Abella'

Mario Russo
'La Penisola Sorrentina da ‘Surrentum im Alterthum’ a oggi'

discussione

Chiusura dei lavori

Archeologie della città. Ercolano urbana e archeologica – 11 marzo 2009

Location: Villa Campolieto, Corso Resina 283, Ercolano (NA)
Date: 11 March 2009
Time: 10.00-13.00
To sign up: centro@herculaneum.org

This morning event is open to the public and will be an opportunity to hear a series of presentations on the subject of urbanism and archaeology.

The morning will be hosted by the International Centre for the Study of Herculaneum, in collaboration with partners: Università IUAV di Venezia, Herculaneum Conservation Project and Urban Herculaneum.

10.00 Benvenuto

10.15 Dalle carte alle pietre. I risultati di una stagione di trasformazione – Massimo Iovino (Coordinatore, Urban Herculaneum)

10.45 La città sopra la città. Prospettive di una riconciliazione – Claudio Finaldi Russo (Ar+te architetture e territorio)

11.15 L’impatto dei grandi scavi sulla città di Resina, oggi Ercolano – Domenico Camardo (Archeologo, Herculaneum Conservation Project)

11.45 Pausa caffè

12.00 I margini tra città antica e città moderna: il bene culturale per la riqualificazione della città – Paola Pesaresi (Architetto, Herculaneum Conservation Project)

12.30 Il ruolo della comunità come “ponte”tra la città antica e quella moderna – Christian Biggi (Manager, Centro Internazionale per gli Studi di Herculaneum)

12.45 Conclusioni e discussione – moderato da Jane Thompson (Project Manager, Herculaneum Conservation Project)

13.00 Chiusura dei lavori – Fernanda de Maio (Professore Associato, Università IUAV di Venezia)

Blogging Pompeii social event

To all blog contributors and their friends currently in Rome,

Monday 30th March is the date for our first social event! Come and join us for a beer or two at 9pm in Bar San Callisto, Trastevere (near Santa Maria in Trastevere), and meet some of your fellow bloggers.

Bibliography

A couple more 2008 publications to add to my previous post of 6th February 2009.

Margareta Staub Gierow, Pompejanische Kopien aus Dänemark (Studi SAP 24), Roma 2008.

Anna Carrella, Lucia Anna D’Acunto, Nadia Inserra, Colomba Serpe, Marmora Pompeiana nel Museo archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Gli arredi scultorei delle case pompeiane (SAP 26), Roma 2008.

See here for a full list of the Studi della Soprintendenza archeologica di Pompei.

Fiori takes over as new commissario

Yesterday Marcello Fiori formally took over the role of commissario at Pompeii and had his first meeting with Guzzo. Stabia News describes Fiori thus: 'è un tecnico con una vasta esperienza nell'ambito dei beni culturali, per i suoi precedenti incarichi al ministero e per le sue capacità organizzative e di pianificazione di grandi eventi culturali e religiosi come il Giubileo del 2000. Per gli addetti ai lavori, dunque, è una «persona preparata a risolvere i problemi del sito archeologico legati al degrado interno ed esterno all'area».' I imagine that there'll be a press release of his plans in the near future. Watch this space.

Satellite surveillance for Pompeii!

Here is a press release from the Italian Space Agency (dated 8th October 2008) that I only just came across. In collaboration with the SAP the space agency may be piloting a scheme to use their COSMO-SkyMed system to monitor and protect the sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia. The idea is that satellites can monitor changes to the site, such as damage from natural causes (like general decay or bradyseism) or that caused by man. This is another of Renato Profili’s babies, so let’s see if the new commissario continues with it.

Ara Pacis in colour

It's not Pompeii, but Sarah's last post reminded me of this image of the Ara Pacis that I saw recently at eternallycool.net (a blog on ancient and modern Rome). Weird but cool, I think. More images and an explanation can be found on the same site.

Incontro internazionale: I colori di Augusto

This conference on "I colori di Augusto" will be exploring the polychromy of ancient monuments - while it is not specifically focusing on the Vesuvian sites, it will be dealing with relevant themes and many of the speakers are researchers who are very familiar with Pompeii and will hopefully use some pertinent case studies.

When: 11 March 2009
Time: 9.30-18.00
Where: Ara Pacis, Rome
Speakers: Hariklia Brecoulaki, Vinzenz Brinkmann, Stefano Borghini, Brigitte Bourgeois, Giulia Caneva, Simone Foresta, Paolo Liverani, Heinrich Piening, Orietta Rossini, Ulderico Santamaria, Eliana Siotto, Jan Stubbe Ostergaard, Lucrezia Ungaro, Stephan Zink

Vesuvius Online, March round-up

There's an interesting newsletter published on line once a month by this month's edition includes a few finds that passed me by. This is the table of contents:

• Boscoreale. Ritrovato affresco pompeiano di Villa Regina (Yes, they got the wrong villa!)
• Colorata l''Amazzone' di Ercolano
• A Pompei riciclavano i rifiuti (on proposed recycling facilities at Pompeii)
• L'ultimo 'garum' di Pompeii (recent analyses have shown that approx. 90% of Pompeian garum was made mostly from bogue - a type of sea bream)
• Un'altra capanna preistorica a Nola
• Somma Vesuviana, Nuova statue dalla Villa Augustea (incl. brief description of excavations at the villa by the University of Tokyo - looks really interesting)

Scavi, assegnato anche il secondo punto di ristoro

It looks like Pompeii will be getting it’s second restaurant soon. This one will be at the Casina dell’Aquila and will be run by Mediterranea S.p.a. Their monthly rent will be 15,000 Euro (Autogrill in the Forum Baths will be paying 34,500 Euro a month). Which all means that the coffers of the Soprintendenza will gain 50,000 Euros a month (or almost 600,000 Euro a year). You can read about it here.