ANNOUNCEMENT: cultural heritage sites open this weekend on the North Slope of Vesuvius

To celebrate its bicentennial, this weekend the town of Pollena Trocchia opens its cultural heritage sites to the public. This is a great opportunity to visit the post-79 Roman villa with baths and other sites which might be of particular appeal if you're interested also in Classical Reception and Volcanology. Among the wonders, there are a Roman column base in the local church, an 18th century "Roman ruin" (but with a real Roman altar) in a Neapolitan nobleman's villa, and Vesuvius' small volcanic vents (you can actually enter into one of them!).
Some of this evidence has been published already, but there is more to explore.
I have created a page with directions to the archaeological site (or you can use Google Maps).
If currently you're not in the Bay of Naples, please get in touch with me and I'll arrange a visit for you (it might be nice to see us in action, from the 13th of June to the 15th of July).

Lecture: Pompeii in the 21st Century

So, Eric Poehler gave a lecture on 'Pompeii in the 21st century' at the University of North Dakota last night - and forgot to tell us about it! But not to worry, there is a link to a recorded version here. (Sorry, Eric!)

ANNOUNCEMENT: 1st Symposium on the Preservation of Complex Digital Objects

For anyone who is working with complex digital objects, 3D models, simulations and visualisations I have convened a symposia (as part of POCOS funded through JISC) to discuss the problem of long-term preservation of complex digital material. Prof John Clarke will be giving the keynote on the Oplontis Project (and I am vey grateful to him as he will be flying in direct from the villa). There will be a number of presentations by people who have an interest in both digital technologies and archaeology in the Campagnia region.   

Symposium on the Preservation of Complex Digital Objects


Date: 16th – 17th June 2011. King’s College London, UK
Website: http://www.pocos.org/
Key Note Speaker: Professor John Clarke, University of Texas at Austin, will be presenting on The Oplontis Project a “born digital” project.

Overview
Over the past 20 years the affordability and accessibility of computing to the research community has increasingly meant that outputs of research are digital datasets and assets. Over the past few years many project deliverables and outputs are exclusively “born digital”. While the scholarly community has been encouraged to and seen the potential of harnessing the power of computing to produce such complex digital objects there has been less interest in what happens to these once a project has been concluded. Where is your data? Who looks after your data? Can you still access your data? Can anyone? Will anyone be able to look at your work in 5, 10, 20 years time?

While a great deal of research work has already been done on the preservation of individual files in a single format, additional challenges confront owners of complex digital objects, where interrelated or even embedded files in multiple formats require the preservation of the file relationships and context as well as the content.

The POCOS symposia will examine the issues which arise in a number of specific areas – the first of which is the preservation of Digital Visualisations and Simulations.

Details
The POCOS symposia are supported by JISC, and there is no charge for attendance, although a contribution of £10 will be requested from delegates upon arrival at the event towards the costs of lunches and tea/coffee (receipts will be issued).

King’s College have negotiated a discount at the nearby Strand Palace Hotel which delegates wishing to do so can use if booking overnight accommodation. Details will be sent to delegates once their booking at the symposium has been confirmed.

Bookings are now open at the project website – however, space is limited so please book early. A waiting list will be maintained once the symposium is fully booked in case of late cancellations

DB

Fasti article: The 2010 Season of the Pompeii Quadriporticus Project: The Western Side

Just out on FastiOnline:

Eric E. Poehler , Steven J.R. Ellis. 2011. The 2010 Season of the Pompeii Quadriporticus Project: The Western Side. FOLD&R: 218. 

The Pompeii Quadriporticus Project (PQP) is a new archaeological and architectural research project that is designed to conduct the definitive study of one of the largest and most important monumental buildings in the World Heritage site of Pompeii, Italy. Combining cutting edge scanning technologies with an exhaustive examination of the physical fabric of the poorly-understood Quadriporticus, and incorporating the results from the excavated remains of its easternmost borders (Pompeii Archaeological Research Project: Porta Stabia), the PQP is putting this long ignored monument back into its archictural and urban contexts.

Lectures: Piano di Sorrento. Una storia tra terra e mare

A series of lectures is to be held in the period from 28 May to 26 June at the Villa Fondi in Piano di Sorrento. I think they start at 18.30, but can anyone confirm?

Secondo ciclo di conferenze sulla storia di Piano di Sorrento e della Penisola Sorrentina: un territorio da conoscere, tutelare e valorizzare.

28 maggio 2011
Ferdinando Fontanella, «La vegetazione e la flora interessante dei Monti Lattari e della Penisola Sorrentina»

4 giugno 2011
Aldo Cinque, «Da un’isola della Tetide a un promontorio nel Tirreno: storia geologica della Penisola Sorrentina»

5 giugno 2011
Escursione guidata sui Colli di Piano di Sorrento

18 giugno 2011
Vincenzo Russo, «Comunità, documenti e territorio nella storia sorrentina medievale e moderna»

26 giugno 2011
Armando Cristilli, «L’arredo scultoreo delle villae maritimae della Penisola Sorrentina»

Resources: BSR Archive

The BSR Archive just posted a message on Blogging Pompeii's Facebook page. Here it is, for those of you who don't follow us on Facebook:

'Thousands of photographs, maps and rare prints from the BSR collections are available on line. All low resolution images may be freely used for educational and scholarly purposes. Visit our website www.bsrdigitalcollections.it'