Chronique des activités archéologiques de l'Ecole française de Rome

Two interim reports of last summer campaigns have been published on-line about:

• The kiln out  of Porta Ercolano in Pompeii (Via dei Sepolcri, NE, 29), by L. Cavassa, B. Lemaire, J.-M. Piffeteau.
• A new project on domestic paintings in Herculaneum, by A. Dardenay and H. Eristov.

More to follow within a few days...

Vesuvian wines and more

If you happen to be in England and fancy a short trip to Cambridge or Reading, you might be interested in coming to one of these talks:

"A new view of old wines: Vesuvian vineyards before and after the Pompeian eruption"
Friday 26th of April (tomorrow!) at 1.15pm at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Downing Street, Cambridge.

"Beyond Pompeii and Herculaneum: archaeology on the dark side of Vesuvius"
Wednesday 1st of May at 4pm at the Ure Museum (in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building) Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading.

The latter is a broad overview of what the Apolline Project is carrying out since 2004. For those who are acquainted already with the project, you will find also new interesting updates.
The talk in Cambridge provides some insights into the "wine ecosystem" (ecofacts, architecture, trade) before AD 79 and its changes after the eruption.

It would be nice for me to have a drink (or two!) with some of the contributors/followers of this blog after the speeches.

News article: The mafia left Naples in ruins. Can they do the same to Pompeii?

From The Independent:

The mafia left Naples in ruins. Can they do the same to Pompeii?
After years of neglect, the World Heritage site is getting public money for restoration, and that is attracting the Camorra.
Having been buried under ash from Mount Vesuvius almost 2000 years ago, the Roman city of Pompeii managed to rise again – becoming one of the world’s most famous historic sites and tourist attractions.

But over the past decade – under the weight of 2.3 million trampling visitors’ feet every year – it has fallen into woeful neglect and is in urgent need of restoration.

This was amply demonstrated in 2010 with the collapse of the site’s House of the Gladiators.

“We’re stunned when walls fall down,” said Andrea Carandini, a world-renowned archaeologist, at the time. “But these are ruins not systematically maintained, so the miracle is that so few of them collapse.”

Yet in the fight to save Pompeii, another enemy has emerged in the guise of the Naples mafia, and now some observers fear it might take another miracle to protect Pompeii, ancient Rome’s version of Sin City, from the clutches of the mob.

Last week, investigators announced a probe into suspected Mafia involvement in Pompeii restoration works undertaken as part of a €105m (£90m) project funded by the Italian Government and the European Union following decades of “neglect and mismanagement” at the site.

Read the full article here.

 

Currency and Exchange in Ancient Pompeii

Congratulations to Richard Hobbs who has just published Currency and Exchange in Ancient Pompeii: coins from the AAPP excavations at Regio VI. Insula 1.  This is Supplement 116 if the Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies (London ISBN 978-1-905670-14-3). 

It is so hot off the press that the Institute has not yet had time to put it on their website (http://icls.sas.ac.uk/institute/publication.htm ) so I will quote the blurb here.

"Currency & Exchange in Ancient Pompeii examines how coinage became a key component of the economic life of the town from the third century BC to the dramatic destruction of Pompeii by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.

The study discusses one of the largest assemblages of coins found so far from below the layer of destruction of AD 79. Over 1, 500 coins were found during a ten-year campaign of excavation of Regio VI, Insula 1 by the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii (AAPP).

Currency & Exchange in Ancient Pompeii looks at the range of coins found, from mints across the Mediterranean, reflecting Pompeii's wide ranging trade connections, in particular, Ebusus, Massalia, and Rome, and the development of local imitations, many unique to Pompeii.

The book reviews other evidence for Pompeii's economic life such as the price of goods and services, the activities of bankers and money-lenders, and the 'live' coinage left behind by those fleeing the volcano.  A full catalogue of the AAPP assemblage andthe 'Bathhouse hoard' is included with illustrations of many of the coins.

This book is an invaluable resource for all interested in Pompeii, its economy, and the everyday life of its'small change' "

It can be ordered from the institute website.

NYT article: The Latest Threat to Pompeii’s Treasures: Italy’s Red Tape

An article and accompanying video have just been published in the New York Times:

The Latest Threat to Pompeii’s Treasures: Italy’s Red Tape
Destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, Pompeii survived excavation starting in the 18th century and has stoically borne the wear and tear of millions of modern-day tourists.

But now, its deep-hued frescoes, brick walls and elegant tile mosaics appear to be at risk from an even greater threat: the bureaucracy of the Italian state.

In recent years, collapses at the site have alarmed conservationists, who warn that this ancient Roman city is dangerously exposed to the elements — and is poorly served by the red tape, the lack of strategic planning and the limited personnel of the site’s troubled management.

Read the full article here. This is the video. The Italian press has picked up on this article. See here for a response in Il Mattino.

iPhone and iPad app: Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum

The British Museum has brought out an iPhone/iPhone app to accompany its current exhibition.

Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum HD
By British Museum
Description This app uses fascinating objects from the British Museum’s major exhibition Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum to transport you to the heart of the life and times of the people of the Roman cities that were destroyed in the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.

Immerse yourself in the life of the two Roman cities

Over 250 objects featured in the exhibition are plotted onto street plans of the two cities. They are grouped into themes (urban context, commerce, religion and beliefs, wealth and status, grooming and adornment, relaxing in luxury, entertaining, food and drink), each of which features an exclusive video introduction by the exhibition curator, Paul Roberts.

Detailed information and fully zoomable high resolution images are provided for each object, and a selection have additional expert commentary provided by Paul Robert, Mary Beard, Professor of Classics, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Director of Research, both at the University of Cambridge, and Amanda Claridge, Professor of Roman Archaeology at Royal Holloway.

Browse an interactive timeline of the eruption story

The app also features an interactive timeline that plots the devastating progress of the volcano in the 24 hours of the eruption.

Based on an artist’s impression of a typical street in both Pompeii and Herculaneum, the viewpoint shifts between the two cities as time progresses. Specially recorded excerpts from the first-hand account of Pliny the Younger, who witnessed the eruption, provide the narrative, as part of an immersive soundscape that brings the animation to life and illustrates how the two cities and their inhabitants met their deaths.

At each key point in the timeline, you can access additional information about the volcano and the eruption, the people who died, and the objects found with their bodies.

Aftermath

Follow the story after the eruption, exploring the re-discovery and excavation of the two cities, recent archaeology and the build-up to the British Museum exhibition of 2013.
£3.99
Category: Education
Released: 19 April 2013
Version: 1.0.0
Size: 567 MB
Language: English
Developer: The British Museum
© Trustees of the British Museum
Rated 4+

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

This is the URL.