Event: Restoring Ancient Bronzes in the Nineteenth Century

Thanks to David Saunders for sending news of an upcoming event at the Getty Villa:

 Restoring Ancient Bronzes in the Nineteenth Century

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Apollo from Pompeii: Investigating an Ancient Bronze on view through September 12, 2011 at the Getty Villa, this one-day program considers the wider context of bronze restorations in the nineteenth century, utilizing both archival research and technical analysis. With the Apollo Saettante as a starting point, restoration work in Naples will be of primary interest, but speakers will also consider comparable activities throughout Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

Key themes include methods and materials used; approaches to ancient surfaces and re-patination; the development of technical knowledge; the role of modern bronze foundries and industrial production; and individual restorers and their working relationships.

Confirmed speakers:

• Sophie Descamps, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
• Lucia Fucito, Fonderia Chiurazzi, Naples, Italy
• Seán Hemingway, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
• Henry Lie, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Carol C. Mattusch, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
• Luigia Melillo, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples, Italy
• Erik Risser, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
• David Saunders, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
• Salvatore Siano, Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara, Florence, Italy

Date: Friday, May 6, 2011
Time: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. with reception to follow
Location: Getty Villa, North Campus Meeting Rooms
Registration: Free; preregistration is required and seating is limited. Please e-mail villaprograms@getty.edu by Monday, May 2. 

See here for the schedule and additional information.

Exhibition and conference: Beyond Pompeii

PROGRAMMA

Giov Mar31 (sera - Istituto)
cena all’Istituto e incontro di coordinazione fra le Università;

Ven Aprile 1 (mattina – incontri Comuni)
10am: presentazione Univ di Roma al Comune di Gragnano (in Gragnano)
12pm: presentazione Univ di Roma al Comune di Lettere (in Lettere)  

Ven Aprile 1 (pomeriggio – Vesuvian Institute)
3pm: Inaugurazione Mostra e presentazione Progetti Beyond Pompeii, alla presenza dei Sindaci, amministratori ed assessori dei comuni partecipanti, dei Soprintendenti, e della stampa/TV;
4:30pm: incontro Univ. di Miami con Comune di Torre (Vesuvian Institute)

Sab Apr 2 (mattina – incontri Comuni):
10am: presentazione Univ di Miami al Comune di Vico Equense (in Vico Equense)
10am : incontro Cornell Univ con Soprintendente Archeologico di Sorrento & Direttore Museo Dr. Budella (in Sorrento, da confermare)

Sab Aprile 2 (pomeriggio - Vesuvian Institute):
incontro di lavoro fra le Università, per discutere presentazioni ai Comuni e decidere prossimi passi (incluso publicazione lavori workshop);

Sab Aprile 2 (ore 18 - Vesuvian Institute): Conferenza Lions Club
(Distretto Italia Meridionale) in collaborazione con Rotary Club con presentazione su Stabiae, Beyond Pompeii e valorizzazione siti culturali minori – buffet a seguire; chiusura dei lavori.

 For more information see www.beyondpompeii.com

“Abbracciamoci Pompeii – Proposte, non proteste”

Some of you may already be aware of the 'Abbracciamoci Pompeii' initiative, but you can read more about it in the following articles that have come out in the Italian press yesterday and today:

• “Abbracciamoci Pompeii – Proposte, non proteste”
• Scavi, dai giovani un piano per il rilancio
• Convegno: “Abbracciamoci Pompei, proposte non proteste”
• Pompei - “Proposte, non proteste” per gli scavi più famosi al mondo

To summarise: Sponsored by the comitato “Cincinnato” and the cultural association“Radici”, there will be a conference on 1st April to present a series of proposals designed to save Pompeii from ruin. These are the proposals:

1. To restore the amphitheatre, so that it can be used as a venue for local social and cultural events;
2. To start a kind of museum/workshop, where ancient objects will be display but also where objects can be manufactured for sale using ancient techniques and materials;
3. To involve the local Comune in the administration of the excavations.

Much of this has been put together by a local businessman, but in consultation with some local archaeologists. At the moment the initiative has a lot of momentum, although it's not clear to me whether the people at the SANP have been involved at all (does anyone know?). There will be a live event on 7th May, transmitted on the internet, in which people around the world will participate to show their support for Pompeii.

I admit to not really knowing very much about all this, so can anyone provide any more details? I think this would be a good topic for discussion, too. Does anyone have any views about it that they would like to share?

Pompeii: Art, Industry and Infrastructure prepublication offer at Oxbow

Oxbow Books (UK) has a pre-publication offer on ''Pompeii: Art, Industry and Infrastructure', edited by Eric Poehler, Miko Flohr and Kevin Cole:

Pompeii: Art, Industry and Infrastructure looks afresh at these facets of Pompeiian society, highlighting the traditionally overlooked area of industry.
It is normally priced at 35.00 GBP but is available for the great price of 26.95 GBP from now until publication.

 Click here to buy the book at this reduced price.

Exhibition: Pompei - “Gli scavi vesuviani e la formazione dell’Unità d’Italia”

A new exhibition just opened in the Auditorium at Pompeii. Here is the report from StabiaChannel (I can't see anything about it on the SANP website):

Pompei - “Gli scavi vesuviani e la formazione dell’Unità d’Italia”

A partire dal 25 marzo l'Auditorium degli Scavi di Pompei ospita "Gli scavi vesuviani e la formazione dell'Unità d'Italia", mostra didattica che richiama episodi salienti in cui gli scavi archeologici dell'area vesuviana sono stati in connessione con le vicende relative alla formazione e al consolidamento dell'Unità d'Italia. Pannelli e opuscoletti dedicati, distribuiti nei punti info allestiti per l'occasione, si troveranno anche presso i siti archeologici di Ercolano, Oplontis, Stabia e l'Antiquarium di Boscoreale.

Nell'area archeologica di Pompei vengono inoltre proposti itinerari diversificati legati alla visita che Giuseppe Garibaldi effettuò nell'antica città e ad alcune case scavate
subito dopo l'Unità d'Italia. Essi comprendono Porta Marina ed i principali monumenti del Foro, tra cui il Tempio di Apollo, la Basilica, il Macellum, e poi ancora le Terme del Foro fino a Porta Ercolano con la necropoli attraverso la via di Mercurio, e inoltre le Case del Citarista e di Marco Lucrezio su via Stabia, accessibili al pubblico per l'occasione.

Giovedì 31 marzo, alle ore 11.00, nell'area espositiva dell'Auditorium di Pompei, inoltre, il giornalista Carlo Avvisati, autore del volume "Una camicia rossa a Pompei", e alcuni archeologi della Soprintendenza incontreranno il pubblico in visita agli scavi, illustrando gli episodi che coinvolsero i siti archeologici vesuviani nella formazione dell'Unità d'Italia.

Beniculturali on YouTube

Something else I've discovered just today! MiBAC has a YouTube channel, with (mostly) TV reports on different sites/issues. There's nothing on Pompeii yet, but, if you don't have access to Italian TV where you are, this is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

L'Arte ti fa gli auguri

Nice! The Italian Ministry of Culture are offering EU citizens free entry to any site on their birthday!

L'Arte ti fa gli auguri

Il MiBAC ti regala un ingresso gratuito al museo nel giorno del tuo compleanno

Il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, con “L’Arte ti fa gli auguri”, offrirà per il 2011 a tutti cittadini dell’Unione Europea un ingresso gratuito in qualunque luogo dell’arte statale, nel giorno del loro compleanno.
Un regalo che il MiBAC intende offrire quale invito a trascorrere una giornata di festa alla scoperta del nostro ineguagliabile patrimonio culturale.
La promozione rientra nel quadro delle iniziative messe in campo per celebrare il 150° anniversario dell’Unità d’Italia, con la consapevolezza che il nostro patrimonio culturale sia un forte collante nazionale e motivo di orgoglio patriottico.

Modalità

La promozione consiste in un ingresso omaggio per i cittadini italiani e dell’Unione Europea ai luoghi della cultura statali nel giorno del proprio compleanno, esibendo la carta d’identità al botteghino.
Nel caso in cui il giorno del compleanno coincida con la chiusura dei luoghi, l’ingresso omaggio sarà valido per il giorno successivo a quello di chiusura.
Le categorie già destinatarie di agevolazioni riceveranno un ingresso omaggio per un accompagnatore che non goda degli stessi benefici.

Review of Guy De la Bédoyère, Cities of Roman Italy: Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia.

See Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2011.03.68 for Peter Keegan's review of

Guy De la Bédoyère, Cities of Roman Italy: Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia. Classical World Series. London: Bristol Classical Press, 2010. Pp. 123. ISBN 9781853997280. $23.00 (pb).

Martedì in Arte returns

From the SANP website, news that the Martedi in Arte initiative is about to return, offering free entry to particular sites on the last Tuesday of each month. Here are the details:

29 marzo 2011 - 27 dicembre 2011

Nell’ottica di promuovere la fruizione del patrimonio culturale italiano, ogni ultimo martedì del mese a partire dal 29 marzo fino al 27 dicembre 2011, il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali  organizza nuove aperture straordinarie e gratuite dei principali musei statali (quelli con oltre 50.000 visitatori annui) dalle 19.00 alle 23.00.
Un’iniziativa che, oltre all’obiettivo di coinvolgere un pubblico sempre più numeroso, con proposte alternative ai consueti svaghi serali, vuole anche andare incontro alle difficoltà economiche di giovani e famiglie.

Le date:

• 29 marzo 2011
• 26 aprile 2011
• 31 maggio 2011
• 28 giugno 2011
• 26 luglio 2011
• 30 agosto 2011
• 27 settembre 2011
• 25 ottobre 2011
• 29 novembre 2011
• 27 dicembre 2011   

"Martedì in Arte" agli Scavi di Pompei 
Visite guidate delle Terme Suburbane dalle 19,00 fino alle 23,00

In occasione dei "Martedì in Arte" agli scavi di Pompei sarà possibile visitare, guidati da un archeologo, il suggestivo complesso monumentale delle Terme Suburbane, illuminato per l’occasione.
Le Terme Suburbane rappresentano uno degli edifici termali pubblici più imponenti di età imperiale, poste all’ingresso di porta Marina, un tempo in posizione scenografica sul mare. Caratterizzate da una sontuosa decorazione, tra cui le pareti dipinte con scene marine della piscina fredda, le Terme sono famose anche per gli affreschi a tema erotico che ne decorano lo spogliatoio.

La visita riservata a gruppi di massimo 25 persone, a partire dalle ore 19,00, richiede la prenotazione obbligatoria allo 081.8575218. 

"Martedì in Arte" agli Scavi di Ercolano
Agli  Scavi di Ercolano sarà possibile accedere gratuitamente, dalle ore 20.00,  al Padiglione della Barca, dove è esposta la celebre imbarcazione rinvenuta nel 1982 sull’antica spiaggia di Ercolano, assieme ad una ricca serie di reperti collegati al mare e alle attività marinare.
L’imponente barca, lunga oltre 9 m, e larga circa 2,20 m era molto somigliante ad un grosso gozzo marinaro moderno e costituisce un importante reperto simbolo dell’antica città.

       

 Per informazioni : 

Ufficio informazioni    0818575347   

Vesuvius' North Slope sites open today (Sunday)!

Sorry for the very late notice. In collaboration with the FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano), today (Sunday the 27th) I'm opening to the public the archaeological sites on the North Slope of Vesuvius, i.e. the post-79 Roman baths at Masseria De Carolis in Pollena Trocchia (see photo below) and the so-called Villa of Augustus in Somma Vesuviana. If you're around Vesuvius, please come. If you're not there yet, but you'd like to visit either or both sites in the next weeks or months, please get in touch with me and I'll open them for you (3395671190). If you want to see us in action, please come during the dig at Pollena, this Summer we'll run from the 13th of June to the 15th of July, with the usual nice mix of Oxford and Italian students.
All the best,

Girolamo Ferdinando De Simone

St. John's College, University of Oxford

Article: Pompeii tops new culture minister's agenda

Italy has a new culture minister, and there have been a few interviews with him published in the Italian press in the last couple of days. Here is an English-language summary from Adnkronos:

Pompeii tops new culture minister's agenda
Italy's new culture minister said reversing the frail state of 2,000-year-old ancient Roman city of Pompeii is a priority in his agenda of giving culture more importance amid criticism of neglect under prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's government.
In an interview with Italian daily La Stampa published in Friday, Giancarlo Galan said his first task will be to "confront the (culture) crisis starting with Pompeii."
Galan on Wednesday moved to the Culture Ministry from the Agriculture Ministry to take the place of Sandro Bondi, who came under fire following a series of collapses at Pompeii late last year, including part of its frescoed House of the Gladiator.
Critics say Pompeii's state is emblematic of the wider state of Italian culture that they claim has suffered from deep funding cuts.
The day Galan started his new job, his ministry announced 236 million euros in fresh funding for Italy's culture for 2011. Eighty million euros is earmarked for the country's numerous archeological sites. At Pompeii the ministry said it will hire new staff to safeguard the fragile site.
In a separate interview with Naples daily Il Mattino published Friday, Galan said continuous laments about Pompeii is "hypocrisy,"
"During the war it was bombed. Stop complaining about the collapse of the House of the Gladiator. There isn't only Pompeii," he said in the interview.

See here for a PDF of the Il Mattino article.

Ancient Graffiti in Context

The newly published Ancient Graffiti in Context, edited by Claire Taylor and Jennifer Baird, has several references to the use and context of graffiti in ancient Pompeii. The launch of the new book was covered in the press last week here.

Titus wuz here: Ancient graffiti begins giving up its secrets

Cast your mind back to the history books you read in school, the ones that covered classical Greece and Rome, and you’ll probably find yourself thinking about people like Pliny and Plato, Seneca and Socrates, men who seemed to spend the bulk of their days orchestrating epic battles and formulating complicated theories about shadows in caves.

It seems less likely that you’ll recall the anonymous Athenian who, some 1,500 years ago, snuck out in the middle of the night to inform the world that a certain Sydromachos had a backside “as big as a cistern.” Likewise, the fact that someone named Titas was “a lewd fellow” will almost certainly have passed you by.

As for the pictures in the clomping textbooks of old, these would have consisted of grainy busts and urns, not boomerang-shaped penises or disembodied testicles. But times have changed, and there they are, on page 94 of “Ancient Graffiti in Context”: the free-floating genitalia of Hymettos, carved into the rocks there by someone with time on his hands and a loose grasp of human anatomy.

Read the full article.

The Archaeology of Italy: The State of the Field 2011

The following symposium is taking place today and tomorrow (March 18-19) at the Joukowsky Institute of Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University.

The Archaeology of Italy: The State of the Field 2011


Friday, March 18

5:30 PM - Keynote session

* Welcome and introduction – Susan E. Alcock Director, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World; Joukowsky Family Professor in Archaeology; Professor of Classics; Professor of Anthropology

* “Italian Archaeology 2011: Where Is It and Where Is It Going?” – Dr. John Robb Reader in European Prehistory, University of Cambridge

7:30 PM - Reception in Rhode Island Hall atrium

Saturday, March 19

* 9:00 am – coffee

* 9:30 am – Introduction to the sessions

* 9:45 – 10:45 Session I – the state of today's field moderator: Steven Ellis, University of Cincinnati

o "Breaking the boundaries of proto-history and Etruscology" - Corinna Riva University College London

o "Digging the past, building the future: a research agenda for 1st millennium BC Italy" - Jeffrey Becker Joukowsky Institute, Brown University

o "'The Land without History': forever?" - Marco Maiuro Columbia University

o "The Later Roman period" - Richard Hodges University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

* 10:45 – 11:00 am – coffee break

* 11:00 – 12:15 Session II – Graduate Student Research forum, part I moderator: Jessica Nowlin, Joukowsky Institute, Brown University

o “New Methods and Theories for the Study of Domestic Space in the South Italian Bronze Age” - Nicholas Wolff Boston University

o "Sacred Matter: Sacrifice and the Altars of Republican Rome and Latium" - Claudia Moser Joukowsky Institute, Brown University

o "The tombs of Roman Campania: Reconstructing regional ties through funerary culture" - Allison Emmerson University of Cincinnati

* 12:15 – 2:00 pm - Lunch

* 2:00 – 3:15 Session III – Graduate Student Research forum, part II moderator: Clive Vella, Joukowsky Institute, Brown University

o "Digging Digitally: New excavation recording methodologies and why they matter" - Jessica Nowlin Joukowsky Institute, Brown University

o "The archaeology of rural production in central Tyrrhenian Italy" - Abigail Crawford Boston University

o "The Roads at the Latin City of Gabii" - Andrew Johnston Harvard University

o “Studying ‘Italian’ archaeology at UT Austin” - Jenny Muslin University of Texas at Austin

* 3:15 – 3:30 pm – coffee break

* 3:30 – 4:30 Session IV – the state of tomorrow’s field moderator: Nick DePace, Rhode Island School of Design

o "Italian Archaeology and Social History: Future Directions" - Annalisa Marzano University of Reading / ISAW at NYU

o "Purity and Danger: On the Study of the Art of Ancient Italy" - Francesco de Angelis Columbia University

o "Archaeological Remote Sensing to Visualization: a focus on Stabiae" - Margaret Watters Joukowsky Institute, Brown University

* 4:30 – 5:30 pm – Final Discussion

Antiquarium Stabiano

The Facebook page Scavi archeologici di Stabiae posted a link to the Wikipedia entry about the Antiquario Stabiano today with the following comment:

'L'Antiquarium stabiano, uno dei 39 musei archeologici italiani, vergognasamente chiuso ormai da quasi 20 anni, con reperti di inestimabile valore e che hanno fatto scuola alla cultura rinascimentale europea'.

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't know about the existence of this Antiquarium, but then that's not so surprising if it's been shut for 20 years ... Apparently it contains wall-paintings from the various Stabian villas, as well as finds from the various necropoli found in the ager Stabianus. How sad that these objects are shut away.

Exhibition: Hall of Fictional Space. Wall painting by Catrin Huber at the British School at Rome

Hall of Fictional Space. Wall painting by Catrin Huber at the British School at Rome

Private View: Thursday, 31 March 2011, 6:00-9:00 pm
Exhibition: Friday, 1 April - Saturday 16th April 2011
Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday, 4:30-6:30 pm or by appointment

Catrin Huber is interested in the relationship between imagined painted and actual architecture, and in how wall paintings can re-negotiate role and function of rooms and buildings. Her exhibition at the British School will combine wall painting with drawings of imagined spaces. For Hall of Fictional Space she imagined bringing together a diverse group of painters from ancient Roman Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis. The imagined group had an animated argument about wall paintings for the 21st century. The fruit of this debate will be a wall painting that responds to the arguments made, and to the specific characteristics of the foyer at the British School at Rome. The exhibition space is located under architect Edwin Lutyens' grand façade at the British School. In contrast to this bright and spacious outdoor area, the exhibition space evokes a cool, subterranean chamber which is transformed by Huber’’s wall painting.

Catrin Huber lives and works in London. In 2008, an Abbey Fellowship at the British School at Rome enabled her to deepen her relationship with ancient Roman painters and their work. Huber has exhibited in Great Britain (e.g. Barbican Centre London, Sartorial Contemporary Art London) and internationally (Akademie Schloss Solitude Stuttgart, Kunstverein Wilhelmshöhe Ettlingen, RMIT Project Space Melbourne). She has won numerous awards, residencies and scholarships from bodies including the DAAD, the Royal College of Art (John Crane Travel Award) and the County Baden-Württemberg (Cité Internationale des Arts Paris). Huber studied painting at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe and the Royal College of Art London.

Catrin Huber è interessata al rapporto tra architettura immaginaria dipinta e architettura esistente, e al modo in cui le pitture murali possono rinegoziare ruolo e funzione di stanze ed edifici. La sua mostra presso l’Accademia Britannica unirà pittura murale e disegni di spazi immaginati. Per ha immaginato di riunire un gruppo eterogeneo di pittori romani di Pompei, Ercolano e Oplontis. Questo immaginario gruppo ha una animata discussione sulla pittura murale nel XXI secolo. Il frutto di questo dibattito sarà un dipinto murale che risponde alle argomentazioni sviluppate e alle specifiche caratteristiche del foyer dell’Accademia Britannica. Lo spazio espositivo si trova sotto la grandiosa facciata dell’Accademia, progettata dall’architetto Edwin Lutyens. In contrasto con questa luminosa e spaziosa area esterna, lo spazio espositivo evoca una fresca camera sotterranea che viene trasformata dalla pittura murale di Huber.

Catrin Huber vive e lavora a Londra. Nel 2008 una Abbey Fellowship all’Accademia Britannica di Roma le ha permesso di approfondire il suo rapporto con i pittori dell’antica Roma e il loro lavoro. Huber ha esposto in Gran Bretagna (fra l’altro al Barbican Centre di Londra, e alla Sartorial Contemporary Art, Londra) e all’estero (Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stoccarda; Kunstverein Wilhelmshöhe, Ettlingen; RMIT Project Space, Melbourne). Ha vinto numerosi premi, residenze e borse di enti tra cui DAAD, Royal College of Art (John Crane Travel Award) e il Land Baden-Württemberg (Cité Internationale des Arts, Parigi). Huber ha studiato pittura alla Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste di Karlsruhe e al Royal College of Art di Londra.

Hall of Fictional Space
The British School at Rome Via Gramsci 61, 00197 Roma 

+39 06 326 4939 www.bsr.ac.uk

AWH US lecture tour

Those of you in the US may have a chance to hear Andrew Wallace-Hadrill talk about Herculaneum during the next month. Here are the dates and details of his lecture tour:

'Herculaneum: Living with Catastrophe'. 
Herculaneum, which shared the fate of Pompeii in the eruption of Vesuvius, has been the object of a major conservation campaign sponsored by Packard Humanities Institute and directed by Dr. Wallace-Hadrill since 2001. New discoveries made in the course of the project provide dramatic evidence for major geological activity dating back a century before the eruption, and to a long drawn-out catastrophe with which the inhabitants lived.

24 March, Smith College (Graham Auditorium, Brown Fine Arts Center at Smith College , Northampton, MA)
March 28, University of Florida (University Auditorium, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611)
March 29, Emory College of Arts and Sciences (Reception Hall, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University, Departments of Art History and Classics, Atlanta, GA)
March 31, San Antonio Museum of Art (San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 West Jones Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78215)
April 1, University of Texas - Austin (AT&T Education and Conference Center, University of Texas - Austin, Austin, TX)

See here for further details.

Exhibition: Pompei. La vita all´ombra del Vesuvio

News from Lo Strillone that a new exhibition of material from Pompeii has opened at Zagreb in Croatia:

A Zagabria inaugurata mostra su Pompei

E´ stata inaugurata ieri sera a Zagabria una mostra dedicata a Pompei, con poco più di cento reperti autentici, portati solo per questa occasione dal Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Napoli. Si tratta in particolare di oggetti della vita quotidiana e del culto, decorazioni preziose delle case e dei giardini, gioielli e alcuni calchi delle sagome pietrificate degli abitanti in fuga dall´eruzione vulcanica che nel 79 d. C distrusse la città romana. La mostra dal titolo "Pompei - la vita all´ombra del Vesuvio", è stata inaugurata dal ministro della cultura croato, Jasen Mesic, che ha definito l´iniziativa "il frutto di una ottima collaborazione in ambito culturale tra l´Italia e la Croazia a livello istituzionale". La realizzazione del progetto, come ha ricordato l´ambasciatore d´Italia a Zagabria, Alessandro Pignatti, è iniziata due anni fa ed è stata portata a termine grazie all´impegno della Galleria Klovicevi dvori diretta da Vesna Kusin, dell´addetta reggente dell´Istituto italiano di cultura Virginia Piombo, del Comune di Zagabria e con il sostegno di una serie di sponsor, soprattutto la Splitska banka, parte del gruppo francese Societe generale. "Questa non é un´esposizione itinerante, che gira per varie capitali, ma un progetto unico realizzato per Zagabria", ha ricordato l´ambasciatore. Lampade, specchietti, vassoi e vari utensili da cucina, braccialetti, collane, gemme, decorazioni per le case e i giardini, alcuni affreschi e sculture in bronzo e in marmo, sono stati esposti in sale sulle cui pareti e pavimenti sono state applicate riproduzioni, creando un´atmosfera autentica e la sensazione al visitatore di trovarsi in una vera domus romana.

Particolare interesse nei circa trecento visitatori presenti ieri all´inaugurazione hanno una serie di reperti di carattere erotico che testimoniano la vita sessuale degli abitanti di Pompei.

Article: The collapse of Pompeii? A view from Herculaneum

Check out the latest Minerva for an article by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill and the folks at the HCP on the problems of heritage management at Pompeii and Herculaneum.


A. Wallace-Hadrill, The collapse of Pompeii? A view from Herculaneum. Minerva. International Review of Ancient Art and Archaeology, Vol 22, no.2 (March/April 2011).

Carandini resigns!

From yesterday's La Repubblica, news that Andrea Carandini, president of the Consiglio superiore dei Beni culturali has resigned from his post, claiming that it is impossible to protect Italy's cultural heritage in the face of massive budget cuts:

Beni culturali: "Troppi tagli nel settore"
Carandini si dimette da consiglio Mibac
Il professore di archeologia, nominato presidente del Consiglio superiore dei Beni culturali dal ministro Bondi nel 2009 ha motivato la propria decisione data "l'impossibilità del ministero di svolgere quell'opera di tutela e sviluppo del patrimonio culturale". Il Pd: "Berlusconi dovrebbe chiedere scusa alla cultura italiana"
ROMA - Andrea Carandini, presidente del Consiglio superiore dei beni culturali, si è dimesso. Lo si è appreso dal ministero dei Beni culturali. Le dimissioni irrevocabili sono state rassegnate "nella constatazione dell'impossibilità del ministero di svolgere quell'opera di tutela e sviluppo del patrimonio culturale stante la progressiva e massiccia diminuzione degli stanziamenti di bilancio".

Il Consiglio superiore, spiega il ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MIBAC) in una nota, che ha preso atto dell'irrevocabilità delle dimissioni, "condividendo le considerazioni del presidente Carandini, ha sospeso la seduta in attesa che il ministro Bondi compia un atto politico responsabile che garantisca il positivo interessamento del Parlamento e del governo riguardo la drammatica situazione i cui versano i Beni culturali".

Read the full article here.

Request for help

I've had an enquiry from a friend who is part of a group visiting Pompeii 31st March - 1st April. She wondered whether they were likely to see any excavations taking place. I said I thought it was a bit early, but I was wondering whether there are any special exhibitions on currently that they ought to be directed to. (They are mainly classics graduates).

Best wishes,

Hilary

Videos on Discovery Channel

There are a whole bunch of new videos about Pompeii on the Discovery Channel, clips of the new Discovery Channel programme on Pompeii which was supposed to air in the US yesterday. I forgot to blog about this (it's been a heavy couple of months!)! Did it actually air yesterday? Was it any good?

Back from the Dead: Marketplace for the Wealthy
Back from the Dead: Earthquake and Bones
Back from the Dead: Looting
Back from the Dead: Pompeii waste

New York Times lesson plan

Recent article in the New York Times, with a lesson plan for Pompeii (part of its 'Global History' series)

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/eruption-and-destruction-curating-an-exhibitio-on-pompeii/

Dignitas and infamia: rethinking marginalized masculinities in early Principate

Feitosa, L and Garraffoni, R. S. 'Dignitas and infamia: rethinking marginalized masculinities in early Principate', in: Studia Historica Historia Antigua (SHSA), 28, 2010, pp. 57-73.

Abstract

This paper focuses in excluded masculinities during the beginning of the Principate. Two interrelated topics will be discussed: first we will focus in two concepts, dignitas and infamia and then we will discuss different types of evidence to understand Roman masculinities. The main idea is to explore how Epigraphy - the graffiti from Pompeii – can contribute to discuss more pluralistic approaches to the Roman masculinities. The Epigraphic evidence is used in this paper to help us to rethink social relationships and Roman identity in a less normative experience and to study excluded past.

Contributors: update your blog profiles!

Time for one of my periodic pleas for contributors to Blogging Pompeii to update (i.e. write something on) your profile page, so that others have an idea of your general or specific research interests. Please do this if you're serious about being part of the Blogging Pompeii community. And please include a photo!

We have now reached the maximum of 100 contributors. If there is anyone who doesn't want to be a contributor anymore, please let me know so I can offer your spot to someone else ...

Thank you!

Jo

Massa Lubrese (Na). Riemerge un’antica ancora dai fondali

And also from ArcheoRivista, the discovery of an ancient Greek anchor off the coast of Massa Lubrese:

Massa Lubrese (Na). Riemerge un’antica ancora dai fondali

Durante un’immersione nell’area Marina Protetta di Punta Campanella, a Vervece, i subacquei del centro immersioni di Massa Lubrese hanno riconosciuto in una grossa pietra che giaceva a quaranta metri di profondità, qualcosa di speciale, ovvero un’ancora antica. Infatti, l’esame effettuato dagli archeologi della Soprintendenza non lascia dubbi: quella pietra risale all’età degli antichi greci, quando i pescatori seguivano le rotte di Omero.

Si pensa che un equipaggio possa aver attraversato lo stretto di Messina, attraversato il mare delle Eolie, toccato Li Galli e doppiato Punta Campanella, riparandosi a Marina della Lobra, prima di intraprendere la rotta verso Cuma, Ischia o Neapolis. L’ancora ha un foro in alto, usato come attacco per le cime, e due fori in basso per inserirvi frammenti di legno in grado di fare presa sul fondale, insieme al peso e all’effetto di gravità. Prima di questo genere di ancore esistevano solamente pietre non lavorate, o scanalate al centro, e attaccate a una cima. Inoltre, allineata con pietre simili, quest’ancora veniva anche impiegata per fermare le reti da pesca in uso al tempo.

È una scoperta molto importante perché soltanto in altri tre siti della Campana sono state trovate ancora simili a quella di Vervece. Ora verranno approfondite le indagini per trovare, laddove ci fosse, qualche graffito sull’ancora, per ottenere maggiori indicazioni sul luogo di provenienza. La scoperta conferma anche l’importanza dei fondali dell’Area Marina Protetta di Punta Campanella, ricchi di testimonianze degli antichi popoli che solcarono quei mari.

Dopo il recupero, lo straordinario reperto è stato affidato al Parco Marino di Punta Campanella dal subacqueo Antonio Fimeroni. Adesso è nelle mani della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici.

Pozzuoli (Na). Inaugura Villa Elvira, luogo d’incontro tra cucina a archeologia

From ArcheoRivista, news of a discoveries under the recently restored Villa Elvira at Pozzuoli:

Pozzuoli (Na). Inaugura Villa Elvira, luogo d’incontro tra cucina a archeologia

Restaurata recentemente, Villa Elvira, antica abitazione dell’Ottocento, verrà destinata a meeting, ricevimenti ed iniziative legate alla cultura. Nel corso dei lavori, grazie all’intervento della Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei, è stato ritrovato un complesso di scavi di età romano-paleocristiana, ora visitabile attraverso un percorso sotterraneo illustrato e grazie a una speciale pavimentazione di vetro.

Il complesso romano-paleocristiano riportato alla luce, nell’Italia del sud, rappresenta il secondo ritrovamento, in base all’importanza archeologica, dopo le scoperte di Cimitile. In questa importantissima scoperta è stata riconosciuta la più antica documentazione del Cristianesimo a Pozzuoli, oltre che le testimonianze di un civiltà precoce che assistette in questo luogo al martirio di Sant’Artema. Tra gli oggetti venuti alla luce: una moneta di bronzo confrontabile con il sesterzio coniato in nome di Faustina Minore, moglie di Marco Aurelio, tra il 161 e il 176 dopo Cristo e una decorazione da parete all’interno di un mausoleo che raffigura un ambiente con al centro il Buon Pastore, accompagnato da due pecorelle, simbolo primigenio dell’arte paleocristiana.

First-Century Roman Villa at Assisi

A first-century Roman villa discovered in the heart of Assisi has recently made press in La Reppublica. (Thanks to Ted and Alessandro for alerting me to the article.) The newspaper calls it "the new Pompeii" — perhaps a bit overexuberant! Judging from the description (copied below) and beautiful detail photos, the villa contains some noteworthy bits of architecture, mosaic, and Third-Style painting. It sounds to me as if, in composition and motifs, the painting may be vaguely similar to (if certainly less elaborate than) that in the Villa Imperiale (especially cubiculum B; see Ling, RP, fig. 70, or the VIP website) or the House of the Priest Amandus (see the photos at PompeiiInPictures; the inclusion of pinakes in the upper register [not visible in the PompeiiInPictures photo] sounds similar). The black "socle" at Assisi (perhaps actually a predella? see photo 5 in the article) containing a narrative frieze of figures recalls the Farnesina black triclinium. However, the wallpaper style of the garden painting (incredible! shown in photo 2) seems Fourth-Style. In any case, a really spectacular set of paintings. Any readers' thoughts on the subject would be welcome!

From this article:

All'interno di Palazzo Giampè in pieno centro storico della città di Assisi a seguito di un rinvenimento fortuito sono stati effettuati lavori di scavo, iniziati nel 2001, che hanno portato alla luce resti di una domus romana di straordinaria importanza, sia per la tipologia della struttura che per la raffinatezza usata nella tecnica pittorica degli affreschi rinvenuti., collocabile intorno alla prima metà del I sec. d. C. Attualmente sono visibili un peristilium (giardino porticato) di m.7,80 di lunghezza e cinque ambienti, tre dei quali si affacciavano sul peristilio di cui sono visibili ancora in situ quattro colonne in laterizio rivestite in stucco, conservate per tutta la loro altezza (m.4) con diametro di cm 55, la pavimentazione a mosaico a tessere nere di piccole dimensioni con fascia laterale bianca e nera e le pareti con decorazione pittorica. Dei tre ambienti che si affacciano sul lato nord del peristilio l'ambiente 2 identificato probabilmente come triclinium di m. 4 x 5,30 x m.4,20 di altezza, presenta una decorazione parietale di terzo stile avanzato con un'elegante raffigurazione geometrica di colore rosso, giallo e verde, sormontata da elementi architettonici rappresentanti due quinte poste affrontate con al centro un bellissimo tripode. L'ambiente n. 3 un cubiculum di m.3,50 x m. 4,70 si conserva per tutta la sua altezza di m.4,20; si affacciava nel peristilio tramite una porta ed una finestra con davanzale in marmo ancora conservate. Mirabile è la decorazione pittorica delle pareti in particolare della parete nord con tripartizione orizzontale: la fascia superiore è di colore bianco presenta elementi architettonici e due pinakes, la fascia intermedia è di colore rosso pompeiano in ottimo stato di conservazione con al centro un pinax raffigurante una coppia semisdraiata su di una kline con atteggiamento che fa pensare ad una sfera di conversazione intima tra due coniugi. Di particolare interesse la fascia inferiore costituita dallo zoccolo di colore nero nella cui parte centrale corre un fregio narrativo con cinque figure femminili. L'ambiente presenta una pavimentazione a mosaico con tessere bianche e nere con decorazione geometrica costituita da un esagono nero con fiore stilizzato bianco a sei petali al centro circondato da quadrati neri alternati a triangoli di risulta. Il mosaico mostra un'esecuzione accurata ed uniforme, elegante nella composizione disegnativa di grande effetto.

Who is working on Herculaneum right now?

Contributors! Hands up if your research is focused on Herculaneum at the moment. Email me if you are!

(Yes, I may ask you to do something, but it may be something you will find very interesting! No, I couldn't be any more cryptic!).

Article: Anfiteatro Flavio, niente eventi dal 2008

From yesterday's Corriere del Mezzogiorno, criticism of the abandonment of the amphitheatre at Pozzuoli. I really like this amphitheatre, it's a great place to visit. So I am sad that it's being neglected. But I'm not convinced that the major area of concern should be that public events haven't been held in it since 2008! I'm not against performances in this amphitheatre (or in the theatre at Pompeii, or elsewhere), but it makes me a bit worried when local organisations see only the potential for profit, and not the value of preserving Italian heritage for its own sake.

LA DENUNCIA DELL'ASSOCIAZIONE THOLOS-MAGNA PUTEOLI
Anfiteatro Flavio, niente eventi dal 2008
Dalla «Cavalleria rusticana» all'assenza di concerti e spettacoli nel sito romano di Pozzuoli in degrado

NAPOLI - Terzo in ordine di grandezza, dopo il Colosseo e l'anfiteatro campano, l'anfiteatro Flavio di Pozzuoli è lasciato all'abbandono; erbacce ovunque e antichi reperti abbandonati alle intemperie. Il grande attrattore turistico dei Campi Flegrei, in provincia di Napoli, dal 2008 non ospita manifestazioni ed eventi musicali di rilievo.

DALLA CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA AL NULLA - «Se si escludono singole rappresentazioni concentrate durante il maggio dei monumenti, l'anfiteatro non promuove da tempo eventi culturali - spiega Salvatore Di Fraia, rappresentante dell'associazione Tholos-Magna Puteoli, attiva nella valorizzazione del territorio flegreo -. Dal 2006 al 2008 l'anfiteatro flavio di Pozzuoli ha ospitato diverse manifestazioni culturali, dai filarmonici di Roma nell'ambito delle Notti flavie alla riduzione della Cavalleria rusticana di Pietro Mascagni, promossa dall'associazione Flegreinarte a settembre 2008, solo per citarne alcune».

MUSEO «EN PLEIN AIR» - A pochi metri dall'ingresso principale dell'anfiteatro, dove sono ubicati anche gli uffici della locale sede della Sopraintendenza speciale di Napoli e Caserta, diversi reperti archeologici appartenuti all'anfiteatro e quelli ritrovati nell'ambito delle campagne di scavo nell'area flegrea, giacciono ovunque accatastati alla meglio, esposti alle intemperie. «Vi sono anche fregi di rilievo, capitelli, parti di statue, antiche lapidi con iscrizioni in latino - spiega Di Fraia - e persino le balaustre dell'anfiteatro, tutte decorate in marmo cipollino. Un vero è proprio museo all'aria aperta, lasciato all'abbandono, e non vi neppure una tettoia a proteggere i resti di maggior importanza. L'ingresso meridionale alla cavea, infine, è impraticabile da tempo; perennemente invaso dalle erbacce e dalla malerba».

Antonio Cangiano
08 marzo 2011

Article: Arredi di lusso in legno e avorio da Ercolano

And continuing our unexpected theme of new articles on Herculaneum, I have just received the following:

M.P. Guidobaldi, Arredi di lusso in legno e avorio da Ercolano: le nuove scoperte della Villa dei Papiri. “LANX” 6 (2010), pp. 63‐99 (http://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/lanx/index)

Abstract
Sono qui illustrati i resti di eccezionali mobili di legno rivestiti di avorio decorato a bassorilievo rinvenuti durante i recenti lavori di scavo, conservazione e sistemazione dell’area della Villa dei Papiri di Ercolano (Luglio 2007 ‐ Primavera 2009), eseguiti dalla Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei e finanziati dalla Comunità Europea nell’ambito del Programma Operativo della Regione Campania (POR). L’eccezionalità del rinvenimento risiede nell’alto pregio dei materiali impiegati e nella ricchezza delle decorazioni figurate, profondamente intrise di elementi propri della religiosità dionisiaca.

This paper shares the remains of extraordinary wooden furniture covered in ivory relief decorations. The discovery was made during the new works (July 2007 ‐ Spring 2009) for the excavation, conservation and enhancement of the area of the Villa of the Papyri carried out by the Superintendency and financed by the European Community within its Regional Operative Program (P.O.R.) for the Campania Region.The exceptional nature of this discovery lies particularly in the high quality materials used and the intricacy of the relief decoration, full of religious symbolism prevalently used in connection to Dionysius.

Fasti article: Ercolano, Antica spiaggia, presso Casa del Rilievo di Telefo

Also out on the Fasti Online:

Ercolano, Antica spiaggia, presso Casa del Rilievo di Telefo

During the HCP work for the regulation of rain and spring water in the southern corner of the ancient beach of Herculaneum, excavations were undertaken on an area of the beach that had not been previously investigated. In the area between the southern corner of the Suburban Baths and the south wing of the House of the Telephus Relief. Around one metre of solidified mud from the 79 A.D. eruption was removed. This revealed an imposing collapse of timbers which, thanks to the conditions of their burial, were perfectly preserved and not carbonized. The position of the fall indicated that they belonged to the primary and secondary vertical beams from the roof of the so-called “Hall of the Marbles” (room 18) in the House of the Telephus Relief. The investigations showed that the roof seemed to have overturned due to the “sucker effect” caused by the first mud flow which ripped it from the tops of the walls, overturning it and hurling it onto the beach. In fact, numerous tile fragments from the roof and tufelli from the upper parts of the walls, which had been torn off together with the timbers, were found below the beams in direct contact with the sand of the ancient beach.

Large beams with a rectangular section and smaller beams with square or circular sections emerged from the blanket of mud surrounding them, together with other timber elements including planks and decorated panels, the latter probably part of the room’s false ceiling. Marks left by the carpenters were clearly visible, as were the joints, on all the elements. On the basis of a first analysis of the beams, a study which will produce important information regarding Roman carpentry, it may be suggested that this was a pitched roof with trusses. The recovery of planks painted in red or blue and of diverse wooden panels with parts of a wooden coffering and frames with hexagons and triangles in relief, painted white, black, blue, red and gold, revealed the presence of a richly decorated false ceiling which could find correspondence in the pattern of the room’s complex marble floor.

After having brought all the elements to light they were numbered and a 3D laser scan was made of the entire collapse, so as to have a three dimensional model of the finds. The individual elements were then removed, noting all relationships which could be of use in the study phase for the reconstruction of the roof. Each find was then photographed, measured and the joints and any traces of colour recorded where present. With the assistance of the conservators from the Pragma cooperative each find was then cleaned and treated with biocide. They were then individually wrapped and identified with a number assigned at the time of their discovery.

Citation: Domenico Camardo, Maria Paola Guidobaldi, 2011.

Fasti article: Ercolano, Casa dell'Albergo

And finally on the Fasti Online:

Ercolano, Casa dell'Albergo

Having completed, as part of the HCP, the cleaning and putting back into operation of the ancient sewer running below the basalt paving of Cardo III, work was undertaken on the secondary sewer network in the east arm (room 57 ex 66) of the peristyle of the Casa dell’Albergo. It was decided to create a new sewer in order to drain the rainwater from this part of the house and from the roofs of adjacent houses (House of the Skeleton, House of the Brick Altar, House of the Bronze Herm) into the sewer below Cardo III. The creation of this secondary branch with the positioning of the pipes and inspection wells meant that a rescue excavation was carried out along its line. The initial cleaning of the east arm of the peristyle in the House revealed a make up for what remained of the floor in use in 79 A.D. This make up, within which there was material of Flavian date, was removed. Below was an earlier floor surface of very compact beaten-earth that was brown in colour.

This layer abutted the perimeter wall of the Casa dell’Albergo in opus incertum of cobbles and lava stone bonded with mud. A well was cut into the beaten surface probably in order to draw from the water-table. Its diameter was circa 1.80 m, only half of which appeared in the trench. This hypothesis also seems to be supported by the presence of three holes next to the well-head, one containing stones to be used as wedges. These must have housed poles that were probably part of a pulley. The well was sealed by a conglomerate of tufa stones bonded with weak lime mortar. The removal of the brown beaten-earth surface produced pottery and painted plaster fragments datable to the mid 1st century A.D. Therefore, in the mid 1st century A.D. in the area that was to become the peristyle of the Casa dell’Albergo, a perimeter wall already existed separating the house from Cardo III and which in this zone enclosed a space, probably open, with a beaten-earth floor in which a well had been cut. The latter was filled when the Flavian floor was laid, in phase with the construction of the portico, perhaps during an overall restructuring of the house.

A thin brown layer came to light below the beaten-earth surface, the result of the pedogenesis of the compact cinerite deposit from the Pomici di Avellino eruption of Vesuvius (1760 a.C.). The only other evidence of anthropological activity in this thin layer was a shallow pit containing a layer of burning and baked clay, with several large stones on its southern edge. The excavation of this hearth produced fragments of black glaze pottery dating to the end of the 3rd-beginning of the 2nd century B.C., the earliest finds from the excavation.

Citation: Domenico Camardo, Maria Paola Guidobaldi, 2011.

Fasti article: Ercolano, Basilica Noniana

Also out on the Fasti Online:

Ercolano, Basilica Noniana

In view of a possible intervention to restructure part of the modern town in the area of Via Mare and the reorganization of the northern corner of the archaeological park, a feasibility study was undertaken which also included the excavations of the Basilica Noniana, which in the 1960s had brought to light the long side facing onto the upper Cardo III (south side). The study showed that there were many advantages to be gained from the complete excavation of the building which could help to resolve the serious problems linked to its preservation, due to the present state of the partial excavation and the instability of the section (so-called west scarp).

In 2009 work was undertaken in order to gain information useful for the drawing up of the project. It began with the cleaning of the entire area and the partial emptying of a number of Bourbon cuniculi in order to gaining information on the plan of the basilica, the level of preservation of the structures and decorative elements and in order to check for the presence of buildings abutting the long side of the basilica that was still buried (north side). The latter was of vital importance for the definition of the perimeter of the hypothetical excavations. Of particular interest was the emptying of several metres of a cuniculus running along the north perimeter wall of an apsidal room on the west side of the basilica. The north wall of this cuniculus was in fact formed by the wall of this room and still preserved its pictorial decoration with a rich IVth style architectural composition, whose focal point was constituted by an edicola framed by fluted Ionic columns. At the centre of the edicola was a painting of a sacred landscape.

The pictorial decoration originally rested on a high dado of marble crustae, removed in the Bourbon period. The securing of the plaster was extremely complex as it was on the point of collapse due to the lack of these marble slabs. The emptying of a cuniculus at circa 1.90 m above the ancient floor level of the Basilica Noniana was also of interest. After having cut through the northern perimeter wall of this building by the western corner, it continued outside of the latter. The aim of this intervention was to check on the presence of other buildings on the basilica’s north side. The excavation revealed the presence of another wall directly abutting that of the basilica. This belonged to a building of which three rectangular rooms, with opus signinum floors and simple white plaster wall facing, were partially brought to light thanks to the emptying of the cuniculus.

At the end of this investigation it can be stated that another building, of unknown size and function, abuts the north side of the basilica. The simple opus signinum paving and white-plastered walls of the identified rooms suggest that these were service rooms for a public building or servants quarters or workshops linked to a domus.

Citation: Maria Paola Guidobaldi , Domenico Camardo. 2011.

Fasti article: Ercolano, angolo fra decumano massimo e Basilica Noniana

Just published on Fasti Online:

Ercolano, angolo fra decumano massimo e Basilica Noniana

As part of the work in the Basilica Noniana, a Bourbon cuniculus was excavated for a length of 25 m. From documentary sources it is known that it ran for circa 110 m along the decumanus maximus as far as the theatre. In this phase of the investigations, the emptying of the cuniculus was undertaken in order to gain some idea of time and method which would help with the planning of a subsequent excavation of its entire length. In fact, the complete emptying of the structure, as well as creating an interesting underground link between the theatre and the open-air sector of the archaeological park, would consent improved aeration, probably forced, with a good probability of lowering the concentration of radon gas detected in the theatre. Moreover, from a scientific point of view, the intervention would permit the recovery of important topographical data regarding the relationship between the Basilica Noniana and the buildings or spaces around it and in relation to the fundamental problem of identifying the forum.

The first few metres of the cuniculus had an irregular line, with the presence of offshoots and widening at the sides relating to the exploration and removal of the marbles from the remains of the four-faced arch which stood in front of the basilica and which, following the 79 A.D. eruption, collapsed onto the latter’s façade. The excavation also revealed that the entire area in front of the Augusteum and the basilica had been persistently explored both by the Bourbon excavations and in earlier periods. The emptying of the cuniculi, undertaken for the first time using stratigraphical excavation, showed that the area had been crossed by tunnels in three different phases, at different levels and of different sizes. The investigation of this sector provided important confirmation of Bellicard’s plan, which placed a porticoed area to the north of the quadrifrons arch which is very similar to that visible today on the south side of the decumanus maximus. In fact, having crossed the decumanus the cuniculus seems to align itself along the latter’s west sidewalk, at the base of which ran a small channel for rainwater collection.

The sidewalk had a kerb of parallelepiped tufa blocks, on which the portico columns rested, whilst the ambulatory was paved in opus signinum. The columns were built of opus testaceum faced with red plaster on the lower third, whilst the upper part showed no traces of any facing. The excavation also identified a second column, and thus it was possible to calculate the spacing (circa 2.50 m). The emptying of this cuniculus went well beyond expectations in providing data relating to the difficulties and time necessary for a complete excavation of the remaining 85 metres leading to the theatre. The work also confirmed the existence of a portico along the decumanus north of the basilica, showing once again the quality of the recording undertaken in the 18th century through the exploration of the cuniculi.

Citation: Domenico Camardo, Maria Paola Guidobaldi, 2011.

Discovery Times Square: Pompeii The Exhibit

As previously reported, the Pompeii exhibition that has been making the rounds of Australia, New Zealand and Singapore has now arrived in New York. It opened this weekend just past, and is well worth a look if you're in the area.

Reviews have now started coming out, and you can read some of them here. They are good - deservedly so, because it is a nice exhibition. For my taste, however, there is too much focus on the plastercasts of bodies, and in general I think the choice of objects is not particularly original or new. Each to their own, however.

The previous museums to host this exhibition also had useful accompanying websites (see, for example, the New Zealand version), but I can't find anything like this on the New York site.

Where would art be without women?

Tomorrow all Italian state-owned museums and cultural sites will allow women to enter free-of-charge! Here are the details:

8 marzo, “Cosa sarebbe l’arte senza le donne?”
Ingresso gratuito per tutte le donne nei siti culturali statali.

Da sempre soggetto ispiratore per il linguaggio dell’arte: corpo e spirito, passione e sentimento, amor sacro e amor profano, madre e amante, la Donna è stata nei secoli rappresentata in tutte le sue sfaccettature, passando nei secoli da primigenia musa ispiratrice a protagonista attiva nella stessa produzione e committenza artistica. Basta pensare per un attimo cosa sarebbe l’Arte senza la componente femminile per comprenderne il ruolo assolutamente centrale.

Per questo il MiBAC celebra la Festa dell’8 marzo, offrendo a tutte le donne l’ingresso gratuito in tutti i luoghi d’arte statali (musei, aree archeologiche, biblioteche ed archivi), molti dei quali per l’occasione hanno organizzato mostre, aperture straordinarie, visite guidate ed eventi a tema.

Apollo’s Drapery: An Unfolding Puzzle

My thanks to David Saunders of the Getty Villa for pointing out that there is now a discussion of the Apollo Saettante and the techniques used in its conservation on the Getty Villa blog:

Apollo’s Drapery: An Unfolding Puzzle
A new exhibition opening at the Getty Villa, Apollo from Pompeii: Investigating an Ancient Bronze, marks the completion of an 18-month conservation project that developed in collaboration with the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples.

The exhibition presents the different aspects of a Roman bronze statue of Apollo as an archer—its discovery in Pompeii in 1817 and 1818; how it was made in antiquity; and how it was reassembled after it had been discovered—but also highlights the variety of approaches that were employed, both in the laboratory and the library, to examine these issues.

A conservator’s primary goal is to address any factors that are or could potentially be damaging to an object, and even before beginning work on the Apollo, we understood that the drapery hanging from its arms needed attention. It was clearly placing a significant strain on the figure, and we later discovered that its weight is around 80 pounds—almost as much as the rest of the statue. As the project developed and we studied these drapery ends in detail, we gleaned valuable insights about the restoration of the ancient statue after it had been unearthed.

Continue reading here.

This is just one of the great photos that accompany a really interesting post.

Article: Dalla «Michelin» a «Lonely Planet»: le guide cancellano le città d’arte

Interesting article on how the latest edition of popular guidebooks like Lonely Planet and the Michelin Guide have started to ignore smaller sites like the amphitheatre at Capua and even Oplontis. Shame on you, guide books!

Dalla «Michelin» a «Lonely Planet»: le guide cancellano le città d’arte

Attrattori come l’Anfiteatro dell’antica Capua o Oplontis citati fino a un recente passato, ma sono scomparsi

NAPOLI — Cava de’ Tirreni, Cimitile, Nola, Sant’Agata dei Goti, Sessa Aurunca: cosa hanno in comune queste suggestive località campane? Tutte ospitano un patrimonio culturale di indubbio valore, ma nessuna di queste è citata nelle più diffuse guide turistiche internazionali. Un problema comune a molte realtà campane, che da alcuni anni rischia di accentuarsi. Attrattori come l’Anfiteatro dell’antica Capua o Oplontis erano abbastanza citati fino a un recente passato, ma sono scomparsi da alcune delle ultime edizioni delle varie guide Michelin, Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, eccetera. Stiamo parlando, giova ricordarlo, di testi popolarissimi, che orientano gli spostamenti di milioni di turisti nel mondo. Nel rapporto presentato dal Cidac, si sottolinea che «le città d’arte campane sono distribuite principalmente su due estremi: una metà (il 47 per cento) non compare in nessuna guida» . Poi ci sono i grandi classici del turismo che appaiono in tutte le pubblicazioni del settore. Inutile elencarli, tutti li conoscono: tra questi, ben cinque siti patrimonio dell’umanità per l’Unesco.

Read the full article in the Corriere del Mezzogiorno here.