Life and times of the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Life and Times of the Inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum

The Roman Finds Group is holding a conference at the British Museum on Friday 19th April, 2013 to coincide with the BM exhibition.  Speakers include Paul Roberts (curator of the exhibition), Ray Laurence, Alex Croom and Ria Berg. Papers by Bone Jones, David Griffiths, Hilary Cool and Richard Hobbs will have a special focus on data from the excavations within Insula VI.1 at Pompeii.

The day will include the opportunity to visit the exhibition. Details are available on the RFG website ( http://www.romanfinds.org.uk/meetings ) and early booking is advised.

To Die in Pompeii : Excavation of the Necropolis of Porta Nocera (2003-2007)

I'm posting this on behalf of William Van Andringa (Professor, University of Lille 3, France) with apologies for the slow response time due to the Christmas holidays!

To Die in Pompeii : Excavation of the Necropolis of Porta Nocera (2003-2007)

This impressive monograph (1451 pp.) is the culmination of an extensive and detailed excavation, undertaken between 2003 and 2007, in the funeral quarter of one of Pompeii's necropolis.  Our understanding of such sites was once limited to the analysis of funeral inscriptions, tomb architecture, and treatment of the dead (burial or cremation), but this research is focused on the rites and practices that accompany the separation of the living and the dead as well as the management of funeral spaces protected by the "law of burials" and the religious status given to them.  

The first volume is dedicated to the analysis of archeological contexts, a synthesis of burial space management, and the remarkable contributions of anthropology, rituals, and burial practices to such a synthesis. The second volume provides a detailed analysis of each specific type of archeological material being studied: inscriptions, statues, ceramics, amphora, textiles, oil lamps, glass, coins, metal, charcoal, pollen, insects, human and animal bones, plant remains, and objects made of metal plate and bone.

This monograph offers a completely revised vision of funeral practices in the Roman era.

You can download a flyer for the volume here and read more on this work on the project website here.

Forma Urbis features Pompeii and Herculaneum

The November 2012 issue of Forma Urbis magazine was dedicated to the work and research of the British School at Rome (BSR).

The Herculaneum Conservation Project featured heavily with an extensive and beautifully illustrated article by Sarah Court and Domenico Camardo.

Also in this edition there was a piece by Sophie Hay outlining the archaeological geophysical survey the BSR conducted in Pompeii in collaboration with Steven Ellis and Eric Poehler.

The editorial and the contents page are accessible by clicking here and visiting the BSR website

 We hope to be able to post the articles as soon as we have permission.

Chronique des activités archéologiques de l'Ecole française de Rome

The Chronique des fouilles, which was formerly included in the MEFRA is now on line.

Just issued, 2011 campaigns interim reports about :

• Perfume workshops in Via degli Augustali
• Bakeries
• Temple of Fortuna Augusta

Angels for Travellers

Are you planning to visit the Vesuvian sites or other stunning localities in Southern Italy in the near future? Well we have just the perfect website for you then! Thanks to an MoU between the Association Angeli per Viaggiatori, 10 associations including the Associazione Herculaneum, the University of Naples Federico II and thanks, also to a little funding from Fondazione con il Sud we have launched an initiative called 'Benvenuti al Sud' ("Welcome to the South"). The primary objective is to create a web-based social network that supports a sustainable form of tourism in southern Italy. Basically when you travel to a new city it is fun to be guided by local people or to receive suggestions from locals on special places to visit, where to eat and what events are on. It's all about discovering new places that are off the beaten track, making new friends and getting a welcoming that no organized tourism can match! Angels for Travellers is a community of people (Angels) who are willing to help other people (Travellers) planning to visit their hometown. This service is totally free of charge. All a potential visitor needs to do is register on the website www.angelsfortravellers.com and ask an Angel for help in planning his/her next trip.

First Expert/Stakeholder Meeting for Management Plan of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

In November UNESCO and the Italian Ministry of Culture held a meeting in Pompeii to discuss issues related to the site's management and conservation in light of the problems facing the ancient city and the new "Grande Progetto Pompei" financed by the European Union. The results of this first meeting have been published on the UNESCO website.

The First Expert/Stakeholder Meeting took place in Pompei (Italy) on 17 November 2012, within the framework of the project “Towards a governance system for coordinating the updating and the implementation of the Management Plan of the Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata”. The meeting was funded by the Italian Government and managed by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MIBAC).

The objective of the meeting was to assist those responsible for the World Heritage property “Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata” in updating and reviewing the existing management plan to address public use and disaster risk management issues and include provisions to regulate and control development in the vicinity of the property.

Around 50 participants included local, national and international experts in the field of archaeology, sustainable tourism, economics of culture, management, conservation, disaster risk management; national and local authorities, local stakeholders and site managers. The Italian Ministry (MIBAC) was represented at the highest level and by all central and decentralized departments and units involved in the preservation and enhancement of the World Heritage site. Experts from ICCROM and ICOMOS, two of the advisory bodies of the World Heritage Convention, also contributed to the discussions.

The Meeting was opened with an introduction on the core elements of the project agreed between UNESCO and MIBAC, followed by a presentation on conservation and maintenance aspects that are included in the Grande Progetto Pompei financed by the European Union. The activities put in place by the MIBAC-UNESCO office were listed with a particular reference to the World Heritage site of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata. The meeting‘s objectives were described and the draft proposal for a new management system for the World Heritage site was introduced.

The state of the World Heritage site was then illustrated in term of conservation, preservation, maintenance, planning and management issues completed by the emergency plan for the Vesuvian area. An example for future heritage management practices was identified in the Herculaneum Conservation Project, a public and private initiative acting at one of the archaeological area of the World Heritage site. The new Italian guidelines for sponsorship were also explained. The discussions followed then in the four workshops on heritage and conservation, disaster risk management, public use and governance, institutional and organizational settings; and resulted in several considerations and suggestions (attached).

For downloads and more see the UNESCO website.