Event: Will Pompeii survive?

For an open forum event on the subject of 'Will Pompeii Survive?' at Cambridge University see the Faculty of Classics website.

If any bloggers attend, would be interesting for a review of the event please.

Newspaper Article: Pompei, sigilli al teatro «di cemento»

Another news article on the case of the Large Theatre (blog passim) from the Corriere dela Sera (link to article) It details some of the alleged misuse of funds but more worrying appears to confirm that no survey of the theatre was undertaken before the “renovation” took place, something I have suspected as all my attempts to contact someone to access such a survey have been thwarted.

Pompei, sigilli al teatro «di cemento»

La struttura antica stravolta dal restauro, intervengono i magistrati della procura di Torre Annunziata

«Ma in quali mani si trovano, gran Dio! Perché mai il Cielo invia tali ricchezze a gente così poco in grado di apprezzarle?». Così scriveva, nel 1775, Alphonse de Sade, inorridito dalle condizioni in cui erano i capolavori di Pompei. «Ma in quali mani si trovano, gran Dio!», ripetono oggi i giudici della Procura di Torre Annunziata che hanno sequestrato, finalmente, il teatro di Pompei.

DB

Fasti article: Insula IX.3 di Marco Lucrezio

Just out on the Fasti Online:

Eeva-Maria Viitane, Insula IX.3 di Marco Lucrezio (2011)

In 2010 work was continued in the west part of the insula, in houses IX 3,3 through to house IX 3,13. As in 2009, the work concentrated on buildings archaeological analysis and documentation of the visible structures and no excavation was carried out apart from cleaning floor levels of modern soil layers. In addition to this, the documentation of the remaining wall paintings was continued and work on analyzing fragments of wall paintings from 2003–2006 excavations was continued.

Majority of the houses studies are shops or combinations of shops, workshops and living quarters. The only house with a clear function was the bakery IX 3,10-12 in the southwest corner of the insula. Based on analysis of the building techniques (brick, small stone blocks) and materials (travertine with plenty of mixed stones and brick), most of the western insula has been rebuilt relatively late in the history of Pompeii. Some of the walls had been rebuilt using the old wall line as a foundation. Clearance at floor level revealed some previously unknown water installations, e.g., cisterns in houses IX 3,3 and IX 3,7. In addition, it was discovered that some of the previously known cisterns, such as the ones in houses IX 3,8 and IX 3,13 were out of use and filled with household waste or soil. So far, no functioning impluvium –cistern combinations have been found in the insula. The functions of the houses could not usually be clarified based on this field work, but in two cases (houses IX 3,8 and IX 3,13) the old interpretation of the commercial food production was strengthened.

“Parco Archeologico di Cuma (Acropoli e Città Bassa ). I nuovi scavi”

From MiBAC:

“Parco Archeologico di Cuma (Acropoli e Città Bassa ). I nuovi scavi”
Saranno proposte visite guidate nelle aree archeologiche oggetto dei più recenti scavi a cura dell’Ufficio Beni Archeologici di Cuma e delle Università e Istituti di Cultura italiani e stranieri che hanno operato con la Soprintendenza per la ricerca a Cuma, nell’ambito del “Progetto Kyme” e suo prosieguo. In particolare si illustreranno:

“La necropoli romana della porta mediana” a cura del Centro J. Bérard di Napoli
“L’abitato e le mura della città greco-romana” a cura dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale”
“Immagini di una città: visite al Foro di Cuma” a cura dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”
“Il Monte degli Dei: visita all’acropoli e al c.d. Tempio di Giove” a cura della Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli (S. Maria Capua Vetere)
“L’Anfiteatro e la Crypta Romana di Cuma" a cura dell’Ufficio per i Beni Archeologici di Cuma.

Book: Architettura e antichità a Napoli

Another important book that I'd like to get my hands on, but that no one can afford to buy...

More details here

Study day on the conservation of the so-called throne found in the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum

GIORNATA DI STUDIO SULLA CONSERVAZIONE DEL MOBILIO RIVESTITO DI AVORIO PROVENIENTE DALLA VILLA DEI PAPIRI DI ERCOLANO 29 giugno 2011
Centro Herculaneum, Villa Maiuri, Via Quattro Orologi 23 - Ercolano

A conclusione della sperimentazione dei trattamenti di consolidamento dell’eccezionale mobilio rivestito di avorio rinvenuto nella Villa dei Papiri di Ercolano (scavi SANP 2007-2008) eseguita, sulla base di una Convenzione stipulata con la Soprintendenza (n. 84/13-05-2009) dal CNR IVALSA - Istituto per la Valorizzazione del Legno e delle Specie Arboree – Sesto Fiorentino, si presenteranno metodologie e risultati, a partire dai quali la Soprintendenza potrà predisporre un appropriato progetto di restauro, previsto nel Piano dei lavori del 2011.

Programma
Presiede Christian Biggi, Manager del Centro Studi Herculaneum

9.30 L’importanza del ritrovamento
Maria Paola Guidobaldi (Direttore degli Scavi di Ercolano, SANP)

9.50 L’approccio progettuale alla conservazione
Giuseppe Zolfo (Restauratore Conservatore Direttore Coordinatore, SANP)

10.10 Dal microscavo alla prima conservazione e messa in sicurezza: attività preliminari al consolidamento di reperti polimaterici
Marella Labriola (Consorzio Pragma)

10.30 Analisi diagnostiche sulle parti lignee del mobilio
Nicola Macchioni (CNR-IVALSA)

10.50 Approccio sperimentale al consolidamento del mobilio: prove su materiale di sacrificio e su materiale archeologico rappresentativo
Benedetto Pizzo (CNR-IVALSA)

11.10 The conservation of polymaterial and polychrome excavated wooden artefacts by lactitol/trehalose
Andras Morgos (Tokyo University of Arts)

11.30 Discussione

PARP:PS is in the field

Dear BP community,

The Pompeii Archaeological Research Project: Porta Stabia is now in the field until 3 August. If you want to come and see our ongoing excavations of four properties in insula I.1, stop on by. We're there Monday-Friday, 8-5 or so.

Steven Ellis

New in paperback: Rediscovering Antiquity. Karl Weber and the Excavation of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabiae

Congratulations to Christopher Parslow on the reprinting of his excellent book 'Rediscovering Antiquity'! Now it's in paperback there's no excuse why we shouldn't all have a copy!

Rediscovering Antiquity
Karl Weber and the Excavation of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabiae

Christopher Charles Parslow, Wesleyan University, Connecticut

(Cambridge University Press, 1998), ISBN 9780521646642

This book examines the early history of the excavations at three important sites of classical antiquity, which came to light in 1738 through the life and work of Karl Jakob Weber, who supervised these investigations from 1750 to 1765. While many of his contemporaries sought only the recovery of precious antiquities to the exclusion of the architectural remains, Weber sought to retrieve evidence of the ancient urban fabric and to relate his discoveries to their archaeological context, thereby establishing the first systematic approach for the excavations. He also proposed a revolutionary manner for publishing his findings, in which all of the works of art from an individual site would appear together with detailed plans, drawings, and commentary drawn from classical and modern sources. His methods were to influence all subsequent publications of contemporary rediscoveries throughout Europe. Based on original excavation documents and plans, contemporary correspondence and the extant archaeological remains.

You can buy a copy from CUP for £14.99 in the UK or for $24.99 in the US. Alternatively, get free shipping if you order it from Amazon UK, or cheaper shipping from Amazon USA.

                   

Newspaper article: Pompei: imprenditori americani si candidano a sponsorizzare un “Piano salva Scavi”

In L'Impronta today:

Pompei: imprenditori americani si candidano a sponsorizzare un “Piano salva Scavi”
Un pool di imprenditori americani ha incontrato il Sindaco di Pompei Claudio D’Alessio per definire un piano di sponsorizzazioni dell’area archeologica. La delegazione , guidata dal professor Barry Goldsmith, docente di beni culturali e rappresentante della “JaxFax Travel” di New York, era composta da Barbara A. Noe, della “National Geographic” di Washington D.C., da Jordan Murray del “Gate1 Travel”, da Alexandra Balfour-Stewart, presidentessa della “Knightsbridge Corporation”, Carolyn Masone della “Essence of Italy”, Barbara Penny Angelakis della “Travel Features Editor” e Anna Diana Mariani customer relations della “Meridiana fly” con sede a Jamaica New York. 

Read the full article here.

Article: Pompei. Fondi e interventi: lo stato delle cose

From ArcheoRivista:

Pompei. Fondi e interventi: lo stato delle cose

Dopo il crollo della Schola Armaturarum all’interno degli scavi di Pompei, tutti abbiamo creduto che il peggio era davvero arrivato se un edificio antico di 2000 anni, crollasse su se stesso improvvisamente e che quindi le sorti dell’area archeologica sarebbero cambiate presto perché niente di simile potesse più accadere.

In realtà le cose poi non sono andate così. A quel crollo, che poi si seppe causato dal peso sulla struttura del tetto di cemento post bellico, ne sono seguiti altri, di minore entità, ma sempre crolli.

Si recarono a visitare l’antica città ferita l’allora ministro dei Beni Culturali Bondi, stiamo parlando comunque di pochi mesi fa, e l’attuale ministro Galan, quest’ultimo promettendo addirittura nuovi posti di lavoro per esperti che avrebbero aiutato una delle aree archeologiche più visitate al mondo a risollevarsi nonostante le notizie e le fotografie relative a un inesorabile degrado facessero il giro del mondo.

Oggi la Schola Armaturarum è ancora in attesa di essere ricostruita, anche se le macerie vengono sgombrate dalla strada. Le maestranze promesse per l’intervento di recupero, invece, non sono arrivate.

Peer fortuna sono stati stanziati fondi per il restauro di domus che sono a rischio crollo o che comunque sono da tempo bisognose di interventi. I primi riguarderanno le case:
del Criptoportico
dei Casti Amanti
di Cerere
di Giulia Felice
del Fauno
del Labirinto
della Venere in Conchiglia
di Paquio Proculo

oltre alla manutenzione del Vicolo Championnet fino alle Terme del Sarno e della Regio I. Quello che però si augurano gli addetti ai lavori che i fondi non servano a dei restauri che trasformino le case in piccoli show virtuali, come accaduto per la Casa di Giulio Polibio dove i soldi spesi per gli ologrammi e gli effetti sonori furono tanti, mentre poco lontano di lì a poco la Schola Armaturarum sarebbe crollata.

 Read the full article here.

Pottery database: FACEM

This database from Universitat Wien looks potentially very useful (thanks to Anna Kieberg for sending me the link):

FACEM
Provenance Studies on Pottery
in the Southern Central Mediterranean from the 6th to the 2nd c. B.C.

Facem (= Fabrics of the Central Mediterranean) is a database for specialists of Greek, Punic and Roman pottery. Its aim is to give an overview of production centres in the Central Mediterranean region by presenting images and descriptions of fabrics.

We are proud to present the first release of FACEM on 6th of June 2011. In this version mainly samples from the area of Magna Grecia and from the Central Mediterranean Punic area are included, and to a minor degree also fabrics from the Greek mainland and from the North- and East Aegean region which have come to the sampling area as imports.

See here for more information about FACEM, details about how to use the database, and access to a collection of PDF articles on different fabrics.

Newspaper article: Dopo il modello Colosseo-Tod's, Pompei pronta ad accogliere i mecenati

In Il Sole 24 Ore:

Dopo il modello Colosseo-Tod's, Pompei pronta ad accogliere i mecenati

Sponsor cercasi anche per Pompei. L'obiettivo è di trasferire in Campania quanto già fatto a Roma con il Colosseo, dove il ministero ha stretto un accordo con il patron di Tod's, Diego Della Valle, che ha messo sul piatto 25 milioni per restaurare l'anfiteatro più famoso del mondo, intervento i cui dettagli saranno illustrati mercoledì dall'imprenditore marchigiano e dai vertici del ministero.

Gli elementi per esportare il modello Colosseo ci sono, almeno sulla carta, tutti. La sperimentazione della mappatura delle criticità di Pompei è stata affidata, all'indomani del crollo della Domus dei gladiatori, alla facoltà di architettura dell'università di Genova e al Politecnico di Milano, le stesse che hanno portato a termine un lavoro analogo per l'area archeologica romana. Dunque, una metodologia di lavoro già testata per le opere nella capitale, dove dal 2009 esiste un commissario ad hoc.

Inoltre esiste un programma straordinario di interventi, fatto di risorse provenienti dai fondi Fas Campania, di assunzioni di tecnici e di regole più snelle per la ricerca degli sponsor e per l'affidamento dei lavori. Nelle linee essenziali quel programma è stato delineato dal decreto legge omnibus di fine marzo (il Dl 34, poi convertito dalla legge 75) ed è stato di recente arricchito dai dettagli contenuti nel piano presentato dal direttore generale delle antichità, Luigi Malnati, e dal soprintendente dell'area archeologica di Napoli e Pompei, Teresa Elena Cinquantaquattro, al Consiglio superiore dei beni culturali, che qualche giorno fa ha dato il via libera.

Read the full story here.

Lecture: L'ARREDO SCULTOREO DELLE 'VILLAE MARITIMAE' DELLA PENISOLA SORRENTINA

L'ARREDO SCULTOREO DELLE 'VILLAE MARITIMAE' DELLA PENISOLA SORRENTINA25 June · 19:30 - 20:30
Piano di Sorrento, Centro Culturale Comunale

Il dott. Armando Cristilli illustrerà la fase romana della storia della Penisola Sorrentina attraverso l’arredo statuario, seppur molto limitato, delle splendide villae d’ozio disseminate lungo la costa, così da inserirle all’interno del più ampio dibattito sulla plastica in marmo di età romana. Infatti, attraverso i pezzi provenienti dalla villa di Pezzólo alla Marina di Equa, dalle sorrentine Villa di Agrippa Postumo e c.d. “Villa imperiale” e, infine, dalla villa di Pipiano a Massa Lubrense, non solo farà il punto sulla tipologia degli arredi interni di queste ricche dimore, ma tenterà di ricollocare le stesse sculture all’interno di un più preciso orizzonte cronologico e culturale, così da contribuire ad una più esatta identificazione dei contesti, sfatare certe errate considerazioni in merito e, laddove possibile, offire qualche ragguaglio sulla storia del territorio della Penisola.

Newspaper article: Pompei, sequestrato il Teatro Grande salta la stagione estiva di spettacoli

According to this very brief snippet in today's Il Mattino, all the summer shows in the Large Theatre at Pompeii have been cancelled because the Guardia di Finanzia have seized all the stage props as part of their investigation into last year's restoration of the theatre.

Pompei, sequestrato il Teatro Grande

salta la stagione estiva di spettacoli
La Guardia di finanza ha sequestrato il materiale scenico del «Teatro Grande» di Pompei (impianto luci, tubi innocenti, assi dei gradoni e del palco). L’ordine è stato emesso su richiesta della procura di Torre Annunziata per l’inchiesta avviata nel luglio del 2010 sul restauro dell'arena della città archeologica. Salta la stagione estiva degli spettacoli.

TV report: Pozzuoli, guasto alla pompa: tempio di Serapide allagato

From La repubblica TV:

Pozzuoli, guasto alla pompa: tempio di Serapide allagato
Un acquitrino ristagnante in cui galleggiano bottiglie e travi. Sono le condizioni del tempio di Serapide a Pozzuoli, allagato a causa delle piogge di giugno e del cattivo funzionamento di una pompa. Il tempio, che si chiama così ma in realtà è un mercato pubblico, giace su un fondo di fango e detriti che col tempo hanno creato muschio sui basamenti. Era già successo l'anno scorso, quando ci vollero mesi per liberarlo dall'acqua: un danno per i turisti e per i ristoratori della zona che hanno a che fare ripetutamente con il cattivo odore e le zanzare.

Pozzuoli. Secondo Legambiente rischia di crollare il Tempio di Apollo

In today's ArcheoRivista:

Pozzuoli. Secondo Legambiente rischia di crollare il Tempio di Apollo

Il campanello di allarme per il patrimonio archeologico presente sul territorio flegreo suona di nuovo. È Legambiente a richiamare l’attenzione sul Tempio di Apollo, il cui stato di conservazione è precario ed è costantemente a rischio di crollo. Il Tempio, che si affaccia sul Lago d’Averno, venne erroneamente interpretato come un edificio di culto, mentre era un grande complesso termale di epoca imperiale, ideato per consentire l’uso delle fonti di acque termo-minerali che lì, molto probabilmente, sgorgavano.

A lanciare l’allarme è stato l’archeologo Gervasio Illiano, rappresentante di Legambiente che ha spiegato al Corriere di come le antiche strutture termali siano completamente abbandonate, l’interno sia invaso dagli alberi e i piccoli crolli di tufo non facciano presagire niente di buono. I danni strutturali causati dai secoli e dall’incuria impediscono a questo antico complesso di restare in piedi ancora per molto. Infatti, le numerose crepe strutturali e lacune, concentrate alla base della struttura, sono chiari segnali di pericolo e indicatori di un probabile cedimento delle strutture superiori.

 Read the full story here.

Book: The Making of Pompeii

Congratulations to Steven Ellis and contributors on the publication of their new book!

Steven J.R. Ellis (ed), The Making of Pompeii. Studies in the history and urban development of an ancient town. Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series 85 (Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 2011). 196 pages, 76 black-and-white figs, 18 colour figs. ISBN-13: 978-1-887829-85-4.

Published on June 16, 2011. List price $99. Price to individual subscribers to JRA $69 until August 30. Web price to other individuals $79. 

See here for a list of contents (I tried to cut and paste it into this post, but it wouldn't work ...).There are papers by Guzzo, Robinson, Coarelli and Pesando, Carafa, Esposito, Kastenmeier and Imperatore, Grimaldi, Pedrone, Holappa and Viitanen.

To buy a copy, follow this link to the JRA website.

Guzzo's experiences at Pompeii

Former Superintendent Guzzo has written a book on his experiences at Pompeii. With a title that translates as "Pompeii, in the dust of the archaeological site." Being Superintendent of Pompeii, personal and professional memories, it was inevitable that it would become a real subject of discussion among the Italian heritage community.

The publisher's website says:

 

"Pompei, tra la polvere degli scavi" 

Essere soprintendente a Pompei: memorie umane 

e professionali

di Pier Giovanni Guzzo

, ed. 2011, pag. 214, €15,00 - ISBN: 978-88-88623-48-1.

Al termine della sua esperienza di soprintendente di Pompei l’autore ha avvertito la necessità di oggettivarne la memoria. Egli narra gli avvenimenti in prima persona per sottolineare non già la storicità, quanto la soggettività dei ricordi. Il renderci partecipi della sua esperienza di vita umana e professionale ci apre uno spiraglio che lascia intravedere “dietro le quinte” della sua conoscenza dell’ambiente pompeiano.

La sua narrazione precisa e puntuale fa luce su alcuni momenti determinanti e alza un velo sugli accadimenti “tra la polvere degli scavi”.

Ercolano come modello di gestione dei beni culturali per i giapponesi

Una troupe televisiva del canale giapponese NHK è stata ad Ercolano per realizzare un documentario sui siti culturali Patrimonio dell’Umanità dell’Unesco. Il loro programma sarà trasmesso in Giappone dove 3 siti nominati saranno valutati per essere inclusi nella lista dei siti Unesco alla riunione del Comitato che si terrà a Parigi questo mese e di conseguenza hanno in corso una discussione pubblica su come gestire al meglio questi siti in un mondo che è attualmente in piena crisi economica. Mentre Pompei è stata al centro di un dibattito simile in Italia, è Ercolano che continua ad essere citata come modello di gestione innovativa e partecipatoria per quanto riguarda l’Herculaneum Conservation Project negli scavi e il Centro Herculaneum come ponte tra le città antica e moderna. Entrambi questi progetti sono stati coinvolti nelle riprese NHK di questa settimana sul sito archeologico, ma anche nel centro storico dove hanno studiato il patrimonio culturale ercolanese nel suo complesso. Una versione del documentario sarà proiettata alla riunione del Comitato Unesco dove il tema di quest’anno è la partecipazione della comunità locale per cui il Centro Herculaneum è stato di grande interesse dal momento che porta insieme sia il Comune che la Soprintendenza con la missione di facilitare il coinvolgimento degli ercolanesi stessi nel proprio patrimonio culturale.

Fasti article: Regio VII, 6, 3. Casa della Diana Arcaizzante

See Fasti Online for the following article:

José M. Luzón, 2011, Regio VII, 6, 3. Casa della Diana Arcaizzante

The Casa della Diana Arcaizzante is one of the six houses constituting insula VII, 6 (3.200 m2). In 2007 work on the study of domus VII 6,3 began. The house had been excavated for the first time between 1760-1761 by the military engineer Karl Weber, on the orders of Roque J. Alcubierre. The discovery in the viridarium of a marble statue of Diana in an archaic style (MNN nº 6008) gave the name to this domus.
Following the 18th century excavations the area was partially back-filled and re-excavated in 1909 by Giuseppe Spano. In 1943, as a consequence of the bombing on Pompeii, it suffered substantial damage. For this reason, and despite the fact that it stands in the centre of the town, behind the forum, it has remained invisible both to visitors and researchers, buried below the collapse of the insula structures. All of these events have created a problematic situation which has been worked on since 2007.
The work undertaken in the house is as follows:
1. Cleaning and excavation of the floor levels (79 A.D.).
2. Virtual reconstruction of the house using 3D scanning.
3. Documentation and study of the objects found in the house, both during the 18th-20th century and contemporary excavations.
4. Documentation and study of the construction sequence.
5. Excavation of trenches in order to propose a chronological sequence which can explain the characteristics of the urban development in this area.
The excavations so far have documented the house’s water supply system and floor levels, observing the existence of several decorative floors (mosaic, signina pavimenta, sectilia pavimenta ) and of an impluvium in the Tuscan atrium. The residential complex is a centuries-old structure gradually transformed from its creation until 79 A.D. The most substantial restructuring occurred during the transition between the 1st century B.C. and 1st century A.D., when the original house was divided into two parts (VII, 6, 3 – VII, 6, 38). At the same time the house was enlarged by the construction of a large cellar housing the kitchen and a latrine. This period also saw the restoration of the ornamental scheme in the house and of the viridarium where the Diana was found.
Numerous fragments of architectural terracottas from the roof and stucco from the ceilings and walls were found: painted dentil cornices, eaves cymas, terracotta drips in the form of theatrical masks or silenoi, facing plaques with palmette decoration and a fragment from an acroterion disc similar to those found in the area of the Doric temple in the Triangular Forum. Many fragments of painted and relief stucco were recovered which has made it possible to reconstruct the decorative motifs in several of the rooms in the domus.
The study of the Casa della Diana Arcaizzante is part of a research project regarding the archaeological activities of the Bourbon kings Charles III and Ferdinand IV in the Vesuvian area in the 1700s.

More sewers: Daily Mail

Same Herculaneum sewer story (which in any case was dug several years ago now!) but this time by the Daily Mail. Prize for worst newspaper caption ever goes to "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your poo". Sigh

BBC World Service - today at 1pm GMT

For anyone who reads this in time, today's edition of Newshour on the BBC World Service will include an interview with Andrew Wallace-Hadrill on Herculaneum's sewer and the Herculaneum Conservation Project. The programme is on at 13.00 GMT and will probably be on streaming afterwards.
Listen live by clicking here.

Fasti article: Panificio VII 1, 25.46-47

Published on FastiOnline:

Nicolas Monteix (2011), Panificio VII 1, 25.46-47

The main objective of the “Pistrina – ricerca sui panifici dell’Italia romana” project is to define, on the basis of the archaeological evidence, the chronology of the transition from domestic to commercial baking, following the technical developments, in particular those of the oven and the organisation of the productive spaces.

During this campaign the investigation of the abandoned bakery in the domus Sirici (VII, 25.46-47) began, in particular the part which originally housed the millstones. In fact, at the time of the eruption the bakery of this large house had been dismantled and was partially occupied by a large room opening onto the main atrium of the house. The paving of basoli and the oven, which in 79 A.D. was probably no longer in use, are preserved.

The investigations concentrated on the interior of two negative impressions left in the basoli by the millstones and in front of the oven itself with the aim of defining the dating for the dismantling of the bakery.

The most significant results emerged from the excavation in the negative of the eastern millstone. In fact, as well as revealing the construction sequence for the installation of the millstone itself and of the basalt floor, the geological stratigraphy was reached at about 27 m a.s.l. where an opus signinum structure on a mortar make up (visible thickness about 0.80 m, length about 1.50 m) appeared. It was built directly on natural and, despite its irregular profile, traced a north-south line forming a corner of about 34° with the room’s south wall. The creation of the bakery had substantially cut into this structure which, on the basis of its construction characteristics, is interpreted as a foundation. Its alignment suggests that the area’s spatial organisation was very different from that surviving today. The small surface area of the trench cannot, for the moment, provide further data for a correct interpretation which it is hoped to clarify in future campaigns.

A second trench was put into the negative of the western millstone. At this point the situation was compromised by two interventions. In fact, the construction of the north-eastern corner of the large room opening onto the atrium of the domus Sirici stood in this position. It was built following the earthquake of 62 A.D. and thus provides a useful terminus ante quem for the bakery’s abandonment. At the same point the excavation revealed evidence of work undertaken at a time post-dating the building of this room, connected with the laying of a lead fistula for the provision of water to a basin situated slightly to the north.

This further intervention thus provides data regarding at least two phases of the post-earthquake period of the domus and the bakery.

Lastly, in front of the oven, the excavation was limited, for the moment to the removal of ash residue and lapilli from the 79 A.D. eruption not cut by the modern excavation. Whilst awaiting the precise chronology with dating from the pottery evidence it can be stated that various phases, both earlier and later than the installation of the bakery, were observed.

David Gill awarded the 2012 AIA Outstanding Public Service Award

It's not strictly Pompeii-related, but I want to spread the news that David Gill, one of my colleagues at Swansea, will be the 2012 recipient of the Archaeological Institute of America’s (AIA) Outstanding Public Service Award. The award recognises David's "ongoing efforts to educate both professional archaeologists and the public at large on the threats posed by the international antiquities trade".

Anyone who doesn't yet follow David's blog, Looting Matters, really should!

POMPEI - Dal giovedì alla domenica al Noenemy rivive l'aperitivo dell'antica Pompei

For those of you currently in Pompeii, I saw this on the Made in Pompeii Facebook page:

POMPEI - Dal giovedì alla domenica al Noenemy rivive l'aperitivo dell'antica Pompei
A partire dal 2 giugno, dal giovedì alla domenica, dalle 18 alle 21 in piazza Schettini, presso il Noenemy Bar, rivive l’aperitivo della Pompei antica. Si potrà gustare il “mulsum”, miscela di vino e miele, che era la bevanda offerta all'inizio del pranzo pompeiano. Inoltre si potranno provare una serie di “gustatio” (antipastini) composti da: scriblita, una focaccia con spezie; morek (formaggio); caseus caprinus, (formaggio di capra) e “poma”, cioè frutta, tra cui mele (mala), pere (pira), uva (uvae). Anche nella città romana esisteva una sorta di “happy hour” da consumare prima di iniziare il pranzo, che si divideva in tre portate: gustatio (una sorta di antipasti/stuzzichini); primae mensae (portata principale che a sua volta prevedeva 7 portate), secundae mensae (riferita alla parte finale del pranzo con stuzzichini piccanti e dolci). L’ingresso alle degustazioni è libero. Chi vorrà potrà degustare ed acquistare prodotti tipici locali, tra cui i liquori “Terre Pompeiane” e la pasta artigianale di “Arte & Pasta”. L’evento è ideato da D’Amora Events & Solutions.

Yo Claudio... en versión HBO

HBO to remake classic miniseries 'I, Claudius' - NYPOST.com

HBO is remaking the classic miniseries "I, Claudius" for sometime in 2013, according to reports over the weekend.

The TV series first aired in 1976 starring Derek Jacobi as Claudius and became one of public TV's biggest all-time hits.

The new version will be produced by the same team that created "Rome" for the pay-TV giant in 2005.

"I, Claudius" is a historical drama covering the rise of the Roman empire from Julius Caesar's assassination to the popular ouster of Caligula.

The new series will also cover the time span in the second book, "Claudius the God."

HBO had been trying for several years to get the remake rights to the series, according to initial reports.

There's no word on who will star in the series.

Newspaper article: Herculaneum sewer again

Following on from yesterday's ANSA, tomorrow's Telegraph:

Dormice, sea urchins and fresh figs: the Roman diet revealed

Dormice, sea urchins and fresh figs were among the delicacies enjoyed by ordinary Romans, British archaeologists have revealed after discovering a giant septic tank at one of the ancient cities destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. 

 

More here

 

Newspaper article: Archaeologists find new gems in ancient Roman waste

From yesterday's ANSA:

Archaeologists find new gems in ancient Roman waste
750 sacks of human excrement recovered from Herculaneum
Archaeologists are discovering new insights into how the Romans lived in Herculaneum 2,000 years ago by what they left behind - in the ancient city's sewers.

Herculaneum, which lies on the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii, Stabiae and other nearby towns in 79 AD.

Specialists involved in the Herculaneum Conservation Project have excavated the ancient sewers of the city and uncovered the largest deposit of organic material ever found in the Roman world.

Layers of excrement that lay buried by volcanic mud for centuries are giving experts new clues about the diet and health of the city's ancient inhabitants.

Project manager Jane Thompson told ANSA the team has recovered some 750 large sacks of human excrement.

"Studying this waste and linking it to the inhabitants or workers in the buildings above is allowing us to learn more about their lives, the types of food people ate and the work they did," Thompson said. "This is even more unusual because it emerged from a conservation project".

 Read the full story here.

Article: The Temple of Venus (Pompeii): A study of the pigments and painting techniques

The Temple of Venus (Pompeii): A study of the pigments and painting techniques
Rebecca Piovesan, Ruth Siddall, Claudio Mazzoli and Luca Nodari

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011

Available online 12 June 2011.

Abstract

We report here on a study of 57 fragments of wall painting excavated from the Temple of Venus (Pompeii). These samples were characterised by a wide range of analytical methods. Data showed that the palette is varied, although not so broad as that found in other buildings in Pompeii, and is consistent with pigments used elsewhere in Pompeii and in the Roman Empire. It is composed of: natural earths, minerals and rare artificial pigments. Paintings are made up of thin paint layers (0.01-0.10 mm thick) strongly adhering to the underlying preparation layer. Nonetheless, in some cases thicker layers (up to 0.40 mm) were recognised, often spread on other previous painting layers. Samples were also compared with the microstratigraphic criteria developed in Piovesan (2009) to distinguish wall-painting techniques. This comparison demonstrated that both fresco and lime painting techniques were adopted.

Highlights
► 9 pigments and 16 recipes were identified in the Temple of Venus (Pompeii). ► Carbon black, red and yellow ochres, cinnabar, Egyptian blue, green earth, limewash. ► A yellow and brown glassy pigment was characterized for the first time. ► A new Mössbauer portable spectrometer was successfully tested on wall paintings. ► The most adopted painting technique was fresco on lime plaster.

More articles on the new funding plan

I'll probably keep adding articles to this list as I come across them ...

Pompei. Fondi e interventi: lo stato delle cose

Pompei, schiaffo di Galan a Bondi

Uil: «Troppi 8 milioni per la mappatura, faremo esposto»

“Piano per Pompei, nessun intervento per gli scavi di Stabiae" 

Scavi di Pompei, arrivano i francesi. 2500 aziende pronte per i restauri

Article: The Aqua Augusta and control of water resources in the Bay of Naples

First seen on the History of the Ancient World blog:

The Aqua Augusta and control of water resources in the Bay of Naples
Duncan Keenan-Jones, Macquarie UniversityAustralasian Society for Classical Studies Conference 31, Perth, Australia 2010

Abstract
This paper investigates the Aqua Augusta, one of the most difficult and costly aqueducts ever constructed by an ancient civilization. It focuses particularly on the control and use of the Augusta’s water.
It is likely that at least a promise of the Augusta was made during Augustus’ confrontation with Sextus Pompey and construction was probably completed early in Augustus’ reign as princeps. Despite its size and complexity, the Augusta has been largely neglected by historians of ancient water technology, of ancient Campania and of the Augustan period. The route of the aqueduct is well known via the writings of two Italian engineers who were contracted to assess the feasibility of bringing it back into use as the water supply of Naples in the 16th and 19th centuries. It started at the Acquaro and Pelosi springs in the Apennine mountains, at 371m above sea level, and ended at the western tip of the Bay of Naples not far above sea level. Unlike other Roman aqueducts, which were almost all focused on one urban centre, the Augusta was a regional network supplying eight or nine towns, as well as numerous villas, through ten branches: Nola, perhaps Pompeii, Acerrae, Atella, Naples, then three branches supplying villas, Puteoli, Cumae, Baiae and Misenum.

Read the article here.

Pompei. I dettagli del piano di recupero da 105milioni di euro

A summary of the recently unveiled plan for Pompeii:

Pompei. I dettagli del piano di recupero da 105milioni di euro

È stato approvato dal Consiglio Superiore dei Beni culturali il programma da 105 milioni di euro per recuperare Pompei e la zona flegrea, che era stato annunciato nei mesi scorsi da Roberto Cecchi, Segretario Generale del Ministero e Commissario Straordinario per l’archeologia a Roma. Il piano si articola in cinque fasi di intervento che saranno attuate contemporaneamente sino al dicembre del 2015. Per risanare il grande sito archeologico campano che si sviluppa per 65 ettari si incomincerà con il Piano della conoscenza, ovvero verifiche e rilievi seguite da uno studio idrogeologico, particolarmente necessario dopo i clamorosi crolli e gli smottamenti dell’autunno 2010.

Su questa prima fase del progetto non mancano le polemiche. La Uil ha chiesto al Ministro Galan di assegnare gli incarichi con gare regolari, minacciando di rivolgersi alla magistratura. Mentre Carmine Gambardella, preside della Facoltà di Architettura di Napoli e presidente di Benecon, invita ad evitare gli sprechi e ricorda che il Benecon ha già eseguito negli ultimi anni un lavoro di mappatura in collaborazione con la Guardia di Finanza che sarebbe completabile a costo zero con metodologie uniche in Italia. Malgrado ciò, il Piano della conoscenza prevede una serie di verifiche mirate al controllo dello stato di conservazione degli edifici e delle superfici e delle condizioni strutturali, considerato che Pompei è situata in un’area a rischio sismico.

Read the full article here.

Book offer: Jashemski at a third of the price

Just seen this offer at Oxbow Books:

Press release: Galan, approvato il piano finanziario per il recupero degli Scavi di Pompei

Press release from MiBAC:

Galan, approvato il piano finanziario per il recupero degli Scavi di Pompei
Il Consiglio superiore per i beni culturali ha approvato il piano finanziario e il programma degli interventi per il recupero dell’area archeologica di Pompei, Ercolano e Oplontis, resi possibili dal contributo della commissione europea e delle risorse dei fondi strutturali.

Il piano, articolato in cinque fasi, prevede un investimento complessivo di 105 milioni di euro, così suddivisi: 8,2 milioni di euro per il piano della conoscenza, 85 milioni di euro per il piano delle opere, 7 milioni di euro per il piano della fruizione e della comunicazione, 2 milioni di euro per il piano della sicurezza e 2,8 milioni di euro per il piano di rafforzamento e di capacity building.

“La decisione del Consiglio Superiore – dichiara il Ministro per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Giancarlo Galan – permette di intraprendere il cammino annunciato durante la mia visita agli scavi lo scorso aprile. Desidero rinnovare il mio ringraziamento al Ministro per i rapporti con le Regioni e la coesione territoriale, Raffaele Fitto, per la sensibilità dimostrata nei confronti delle necessità di Pompei nel contesto del più ampio Piano per il Sud. Ringrazio inoltre i tecnici e gli archeologi della Soprintendenza e del Ministero per aver realizzato in questo breve lasso di tempo un valido cronoprogramma che consentirà in un quadriennio di investire con efficacia e trasparenza le risorse disponibili”.


Roma, 9 giugno 2011

Newspaper article: Beni culturali, Galan stanzia 57 milioni per il recupero. Soldi anche a Pompei

A new spending package for the management of heritage sites throughout Italy has been announced. The following article is from yesterday's MetropolisWeb.

Beni culturali, Galan stanzia 57 milioni per il recupero. Soldi anche a Pompei

Read the full article here. This is just the section on Pompeii:

POMPEI, IN ARRIVO PIANO 105 MLN EURO NEL TRIENNIO
Il Consiglio superiore dei Beni Culturali ha approvato oggi un piano di 85 milioni di euro per interventi a Pompei e nella zona Flegrea. Lo rende noto la Uil di settore, che sottolinea però come il piano, ancora all'attenzione del parlamentino del ministero, preveda complessivamente per il triennio 2011-2013 un totale di 105 milioni di euro. E punta il dito sulle risorse destinate ai rilievi e alle verifiche idrogeologiche del sito campano (8,2 milioni) chiedendo al ministro Galan di affidare l'incarico con una gara pubblica. Tanto più, precisa il sindacato, che le risorse impiegate sono fondi europei Poin. In alternativa le Uil suggerisce di impiegare direttamente la stessa Soprintendenza di Napoli-Pompei "visto che la stessa fa subito un intervento sistematico su quasi tutta l'area di Pompei con fondi delle proprie casse". Visto che per fare i rilievi di ciascuna domus, spiega ancora il sindacato, servono mediamente fra i tre i quattro giorni lavorativi, "il costo delle operazioni potrebbe essere coperto con i ribassi di gara". In pratica, conclude la Uil "chiediamo che le risorse previste per Pompei e per l'area di competenza della Soprintendenza siano interamente usate per i lavori attraverso procedure trasparenti e pubbliche".

Tomorrow there will be a press conference at Naples to reveal a list of emergency measures needed in Campania.

UPDATE: You can also read the press release from the Minstry here.

Conferenza: novità dagli scavi di Ercolano

Prossima conferenza dell'Associazione "Amici di Pompei"

sabato 18 giugno 2011 - Ore 18,00

Novità dagli scavi di Ercolano

Dott. Domenico Camardo
(Archeologo, Herculaneum Conservation Project)

Ulteriori informazioni

Trailer: Herculaneum. Terme centrali

This is very cool - the trailer of a video produced by MAV (Museo Archeologico Virtuale di Ercolano) for the 2011 Rassegna Internazionale del Cinema Archeologico:

Trailer: Herculaneum. Terme centrali
Coming soon: Anticipazioni dei filmati che verranno proiettati alla prossima Rassegna Internazionale del Cinema Archeologico, nell'ottobre del 2011: docu-film in computer grafica sulle terme centrali del sito archeologico di Ercolano con ricostruzione storica degli ambienti e descrizione didattica del funzionamento dell’impianto di approvvigionamento dell’acqua e del riscaldamento degli ambienti. 

 Watch the trailer here. 

Disaster at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples

http://www.ilmattino.it/articolo.php?id=151366&sez=NAPOLI

Two obsidian cups dating to the Ptolemaic period have been destroyed in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples as a shelf collapsed crushing them to smithereens.

Herculaneum. Past and Future. Part 6: Herculaneum and Pompeii

Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Herculaneum. Past and Future.

(Frances Lincoln, 2011; 352 pages, ISBN-10: 0711231427; ISBN-13: 978-0711231429)

(For the introduction to this series of posts about Herculaneum Past and Future, see here)

In chapter 10 AWH considers many of the differences between Pompeii and Herculaneum beyond those of preservation, challenging many frequently held assumptions. He explores the subtleties in the towns’ legal status and identity, their social conditions and economy, as well as significant differences in floor and wall decoration (I hope to look at architecture in another post) contextualised by the picture provided by Pompeii, on which we have tended to depend. This is therefore the kind of discussion that both the academic and the more general reader will benefit from immensely. In this post I’d like to explore some of these differences a bit further and offer some thoughts for further discussion.

One of the principal differences between Pompeii and Herculaneum, as AWH rightly points out is that Herculaneum, as a municipium, had a different legal status to Pompeii (a colony) and that this was seen in Roman eyes as making it less important. Thus we might assume that this pejorative nuance should therefore reflect in differences in the urban community. Here AWH turns, as other scholars have done, to the lack of electoral advertisements at Herculaneum of which only one possible example has been identified. In contrast with Pompeii, where such programmata indicate a lively political scene, AWH suggests that their absence from Herculaneum might be due to the fact that such a close-knit community had less need for such media or that political life in a colony was more competitive than that of a municipium. However, here we might for a moment consider the distinct lack of evidence for façade plaster, the preservation of which is extremely inconsistent across the site, and even where present is not necessarily at eye level (where most Pompeian programmata can be found). Take Cardo V, the principal street to the southern part of the town for wheeled traffic (as the upper decumanus was closed), and presumably ideal for the display of such notices (see image below). However, the façade of the apartment block Insula Orientalis II only retains two small sections of plaster either side of entrance 9. Similarly the façade of Insula V, on the opposite side of the street, bears only a single tiny fragment of plaster on the frontage of the Casa del Sacello di Legno. Elsewhere preservation is sometimes better, such as the east façade of the Casa del Tramezzo di Legno but these are exceptions and at no point in a single insula is preservation as complete as is typical at Pompeii. Presumably façade plaster was lost during the eruption, as the pyroclastic flows surged along the streets (also stripping away pent-roofs and the walls off upper storey balconies) or was destroyed during the Bourbon subterranean exploration of the site (either by the act of tunnelling or by deliberate vandalism). Either way, on this evidence it is difficult to draw conclusions about the absence of political notices, although there is, of course, every possibility, as AWH suggests, that local politics in different towns worked in different ways. Here it would be good to know whether the recent excavation of a street at Stabia, adjoining the Villa San Marco, revealed any evidence of political electioneering.

© James Andrews. Cardo V, from north. Note the absence of façade plaster.

The lack of preserved façade plaster at Herculaneum also has a bearing on other media we might be interested in. There is consequently also little evidence for shop signs, in contrast with the plethora of examples that emerged on the Via dell’Abbondanza at Pompeii, or indeed advertisements for games and the like. Only one well-preserved ‘shop sign’ now survives at Herculaneum and only two notices for games have been identified (one advertising games at Nola and another for a gladiatorial display at Herculaneum although at an unknown location).

AWH makes a number of interesting observations relating to Herculaneum’s economic character. Based on the scale of shops and workshops found to date, AWH suggests that trade at Herculaneum probably had a purely local function (more so than Pompeii), in which produce was for the consumption of the town’s populace (a ‘consumer city’), rather than for export. This does seem to bear true for the excavated area but what of the rest of the town? As Jeremy has already suggested in his post, what we see today may not be necessarily representative of the whole. A number of insula buildings can be reasonably identified from the Bourbon plans in the parts of the town that lie beneath the modern one; these almost certainly were occupied by further shops and workshops. The same might also be said for the lack of properties solely given over to prostitution, which as AWH points out, are absent from Herculaneum. However, at Pompeii such establishments were located in narrow streets in the centre of the city, a picture fittingly consistent with that painted by the literary sources. Could their absence from Herculaneum simply be explained by the fact that the corresponding area of this town has yet to be explored? AWH also draws our attention to the lack of wheel ruts for evidence of the comparative infrequency with which the streets were plied by wheeled traffic serving commercial activity (I noticed that the photograph of a section of street without ruts is included, although this part of the street was at the bottom end leading down to the shore and probably rarely bore carts). As the principal connecting street to this part of the town, we might expect Cardo V to bear some evidence of ruts, although there are indeed very few (see image above). However, as this street was largely re-paved, probably during the construction of the Palaestra in the early 1^st century AD, this is hardly surprising. In contrast, the western part of the lower decumanus, paved in an earlier phase, does bear the marks of wheeled traffic, evidently having been exposed to wheeled traffic for a longer period. It is also worth repeating that we are not looking at the principal thoroughfare. Such a street seems to have been identified (as Jeremy has already noted) during the Bourbon explorations of April 1754, to the north of the present ‘decumanus maximus’ and appears to have run on the same alignment. Several columbarium tombs identified in 1750 also lay on this street, presumably outside the city. From this we can infer that this was the principal Neapolis-Pompeii highway, the true decumanus maximus. Unfortunately, the Bourbon accounts tell us little about this road but a through road it must have been heavily plied by wheeled traffic and served a significant role in Herculaneum’s economy (as the Via dell’Abbondanza, Via di Nola and Via Stabiana at Pompeii).

Further differences between Pompeii and Herculaneum relate to architecture and interior floor and wall decorations. According to AWH, it is above all the use of polychrome marbles that stand out the most; at Herculaneum a high proportion of houses bear complex marble pavements, where at Pompeii marble floors are rarer and less complex. Several of the larger houses, such as the Casa dei Cervi or Casa dell’Atrio a Mosaico, boast suites of rooms embellished in this way and such floors are even found in relatively modest houses like the Casa del Apollo Citaredo. Marble panelling was used in several cases for socle zones in the Casa dei Cervi and the Casa del Rilievo di Telefo. There are, as AWH informs us, no parallels at Pompeii, although the Villa San Marco at Stabia had a floor and socle decoration of this type in its most important room. Perhaps in this respect Herculaneum has more in common with Stabia than Pompeii? Marble was far more costly than wall painting and thus can be considered a safe barometer of real wealth; evidently Herculaneum appears to have been better endowed in this regard than Pompeii. Further work on the provenance and quantity of the marbles employed at Herculaneum in domestic contexts would shed light not only on the comparative economics involved in their use but also tell us more about changing decorative tastes.

Differences in wall painting are less easy for the casual visitor to differentiate. AWH points out that examples of the First and Second Pompeian Styles are rare at Herculaneum. I would suggest this was most likely due to the wider urban renewal of Herculaneum in the imperial period that saw most of the town’s residences rebuilt, in many cases at the expense of pre-Roman housing. This trend was itself undoubtedly spurred on by a distinct increase in the town’s wealth (as AWH indicates) as is further born out by the new public buildings erected at this time. Most of the surviving wall decorations belong to the Fourth Style and to a lesser extent the Third Style, although as in the use of marble, there are subtle differences to those at Pompeii. Such characteristics of the Fourth Style paintings include theatrical backdrops, or the use of striking monochrome backgrounds with architectural details reduced to flimsy elements. Such differences strongly suggest the presence of local decorator workshops who simply worked to a different set of guidelines and influences than their counterparts at Pompeii. Might the same explanation also account for paintings of the Third Style that similarly feature a number of deviations from the Pompeian model?

In summary, AWH presents Herculaneum as being less politically active town than Pompeii (at least in public) and less commercially significant. However, at the same time he shows us that many of Herculaneum’s residents were able to lavish greater expense on interior decoration and that some of these decorations were also more sophisticated than those at Pompeii. This again raises many questions. Is our view of Herculaneum rather skewed by the part of the town with which we are presented? If some of the inhabitants were very wealthy but the town’s economy was rather quiet then how did these families sustain themselves? Some surely derived an income from agriculture or viticulture in the estates around the town, but it would be a stretch to suggest this was the case for all. Many of the largest houses at Pompeii, such as the Casa del Menandro, were surrounded by various commercial, rental or productive units on whom they no doubt depended on financially. But this does not appear to be the case at Herculaneum, at least for the largest residences overlooking the shore. If a large proportion of Herculaneum’s population were of servile origin, then how did they make their success? In terms of scale, could it simply be that given the town’s proximity with Neapolis meant that there was less need for larger scale commercial activity, or is it more likely this was located elsewhere in Herculaneum, perhaps on the Neapolis-Pompeii road?

Article: Sacraria Pompeiana. Alcune note

Another article just out:

Fabrizio Pesando, Sacraria Pompeiana. Alcune note. In Ghedini F.  Bassani M. (eds) Religionem significare. Aspetti storico-religiosi, strutturali, iconografici e materiali di Sacra Privata. Atti dell'Incontro di Studi (Padova, 8-9 giugno 2009). (Roma: Edizioni Quasar, 2011).

 See the publisher's website for further details about the volume.

Fasti article: The 2010 Field Season at I.1.1-10, Pompeii: Preliminary report on the excavations

Just out on the FastiOnline:

Steven J.R. Ellis, Allison L.C. Emmerson , Amanda K. Pavlick, Kevin Dicus (2011). The 2010 Field Season at I.1.1-10, Pompeii: Preliminary report on the excavations. FOLD&R: 220.

IVC+R. Proyecto "La casa de Ariadna"

This information about a conservation project at Pompeii led by the Valencia Institute of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage (IVC+R) was just posted on Blogging Pompeii's Facebook page (thank you to the person who posted it!):

IVC+R. Proyecto "La casa de Ariadna"
El Instituto Valenciano de Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales (IVC+R) acaba de finalizar una nueva campaña de trabajo en la Casa Ariadna en Pompeya. En esta ocasión el cometido era mostrar los estudios científicos realizados anteriormente y tomar nuevos datos, a partir de las directrices que el instituto valenciano había marcado para la conservación de este emblemático edificio pompeyano.

Los resultados de los estudios científicos y analíticas realizados hasta la fecha por el Institut Valencià de Conservació i Restauració de Béns Culturals fueron presentados por su directora gerente, Carmen Pérez, y por el Jefe de la Sección Arqueológica del Ayuntamiento de Valencia, Albert Ribera, al señor Varone, superintendente de Pompeya. En dicho informe se reflejaba como la colocación de unas nuevas techumbres en las tres estancias de la casa, tal y como sugirió el Instituto Valenciano en su día, han dado unos buenos resultados para la conservación de estas pinturas murales.

El hecho de que "se vea una mejoría en la conservación de las pinturas gracias a los estudios realizados por el IVC+R -ha señalado su directora Carmen Pérez- viene a demostrar, una vez más, el alto grado de preparación de los técnicos en pintura mural y científicos que posee el Instituto Valenciano, a la vez que lo convierte en un centro de investigación señero dentro del panorama internacional".

En la campaña actual se han colocado unos nuevos chips en las mismas estancias y puntos que los anteriores para tomar nuevos datos de temperatura, humedad y radiación solar con el fin de comprobar que las nuevas coberturas cumplen su función. Estos datos serán recogidos en septiembre y comprados con los anteriores. Además, en esta segunda fase de investigación se han hecho pruebas con biocidas en la estancia 33 y la 20 de la casa, cuyo suelo está formado por un mosaico afectado por musgos y líquenes; y se han realizado pruebas de limpieza en los diferentes tipos de pigmentos que decoran las estancias, realizándose varios test (pH y Wolbers), a partir de los análisis de la composición de las pinturas, para poseer resultados fiables a la hora de afrontar la futura restauración de la casa.

Este proyecto de investigación en las pinturas murales de la Casa Ariadna se viene desarrollando desde el año 2007, y forma parte del proyecto para la realización de excavaciones arqueológicas en Pompeya, que la Sección Arqueológica Municipal (SIAM), dependiente del Servicio de Patrimonio Histórico de la Delegación de Cultura del Ayuntamiento de Valencia, viene desarrollando junto con la Universidad de Innsbruck (Austria), el Museo de Prehistoria de la Diputación de Valencia y el Museo de Arqueología (MARQ) de la Diputación de Alicante y el Institut Valencià de Conservació i Restauració de Béns Culturals (IVC+R) con subvención del Ministerio de Cultura Español.