More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academi... more More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academic discourse and the popular imagination. This volume brings together a collection of ten papers that advance, challenge and revise the present conceptions of the city's art, industry and infrastructure.
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2011)
More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academic discourse and the popular imagination. This volume brings together a collection of ten papers that advance, challenge and revise the present conceptions of the city's art, industry and infrastructure.
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2010)
This dissertation examines the interaction of public and private space in the area of Pompeii’s f... more This dissertation examines the interaction of public and private space in the area of Pompeii’s forum. By means of a rigorous methodology of masonry analysis to establish a relative chronology for the structures in and around the zone of the forum, the forces of urban change are revealed and placed into their historical, social, political and cultural contexts. Thus, a detailed examination of the changing role of public and private space reveals that the standing remains of architecture provide the evidence necessary to establish the reflexive nature of spatial organization at Pompeii.
Four nearly identical inscriptions from Pompeii record Titus Suedius Clemens restoring to the com... more Four nearly identical inscriptions from Pompeii record Titus Suedius Clemens restoring to the community of Pompeii public places held by private individuals. A primipilaris and former centurion of the Legion X Gemina, Clemens was an imperial agent whose presence at Pompeii places the city into the greater narrative of Vespasian’s economic policy during the 70s A.D. and provides evidence of the relationship between Pompeii and Rome. This paper examines the connection between the two individuals named in the texts (Titus Suedius Clemens and Vespasian), and traces Clemens’s career through inscriptions and Tacitus, to reveal how and when the four Pompeii inscriptions were setup; contextualizes the actions of Clemens within the larger historical circumstances of the fiscal policies of Vespasian to explain why he sent an agent to Pompeii; and finally, analyzes the find spots of the four inscriptions Clemens erected to enhance our understanding of loca publica at Pompeii. Studies in which these inscriptions play a central role have focused on either their specific legal meaning or outlining Clemens’s military career. What is still needed, however, is a full account of the context in which they were created.
This article outlines a new methodology developed to disentangle the hitherto incomprehensible ma... more This article outlines a new methodology developed to disentangle the hitherto incomprehensible maze of poorly preserved architecture at the Archaic through late Roman period Panhellenic sanctuary at Isthmia, Greece, into clearly defined buildings with their relative construction phases. The methodology combines on-site architectural analyses with the digitisation and reintegration of the site's legacy data within a GIS. The results of this study, still in its preliminary stages, reveal an area east of the Temple of Poseidon at Isthmia as a built environment of rather large and complex units in contrast to the conventional interpretation of a series of small and unimportant structures.
While it is a common observance that all entrances to Pompeii's forum were blocked to wheeled tra... more While it is a common observance that all entrances to Pompeii's forum were blocked to wheeled traffic, little further attention has been paid to these portals into the monumental heart of the city. The result of this scholarly neglect is the tendency to treat the entrances as a single, undifferentiated category of architecture. This is patently not the case. While some access points received elaboration through architectural ornamentation, such as the arches flanking the Temple of Jupiter, other entries were dramatically reduced or removed entirely by the construction of monumental buildings, thus impacting the systems of material supply and removal throughout the city. On the other hand, openings from Via di Marina and Via dell'Abbondanza punched wide intercolumniations in the forum colonnade, and yet did not create a clear visual passage across the open space of the forum. At the same time, both of these streets were also blocked farther along their length, barring wheeled traffic and transforming the character of the urban environment radiating from the forum. Still other entrances reveal some of the Pompeians' intentions for supplying water to the area and provide important evidence as to the progress of reconstruction after the A.D. 62 earthquake. Thus, architecturally and 'practically' the entrances to the forum at Pompeii were each a unique threshold communicating between distinct urban landscapes. Through careful examination they reveal not only their own multiple functions and embedded social meanings, but also important relationships to the streets, the surrounding structures, and the life of the ancient town.
The area of Region VII east of the forum of Pompeii has generated scholarly interest over the las... more The area of Region VII east of the forum of Pompeii has generated scholarly interest over the last decade. The region has been characterized by A. Wallace-Hadrill (Cornell and Lomas, Urban Society in Roman Italy [1995] 39–62) as the negative aspect of a moral geography due to its narrow streets and evidence for prostitution. R. Lawrence has described the area as an urban core of “integrated through-routes” (Roman Pompeii [1994] 103). More recently E. Poehler (“The Interaction of the Water System and Traffic System at Pompeii,” 104th Annual Meeting Abstracts [San Francisco 2004]) has discussed Region VII as a locus of tightly controlled civic infrastructure where the movement and restriction of traffic is intimately tied to the water system and not a specific “socially zoned” area of deviant behavior. These three differing interpretations of the same district of Pompeii are not easily reconciled and therefore warrant further investigation of Region VII. The 2005 field season focused on assessing the buildings to the east of the Imperial Cult Building and the Macellum. Because Region VII, Insula IX is a nexus of public, private, industrial, and commercial complexes it provides an excellent opportunity to study the physical and ideological interplay between these types of constructed spaces. Examination of the structural and stratigraphic relationships of the standing architecture indicates significant changes to this zone of Pompeii and demonstrates that the catalyst for these adjustments was the monumentalizing of the east side of the forum. These changes caused a ripple effect through the insula and echo comparable modifications occurring elsewhere around the forum. This paper charts these alterations and provides alternative conclusions about the characterization of this vicinity of Pompeii.
Roman archaeologists are familiar with the tension between public and private space, and attempts... more Roman archaeologists are familiar with the tension between public and private space, and attempts to clarify these concepts have steadily increased. Conventional studies have focused separately on (1) private spaces, typically identified within houses, and (2) public spaces, identified as fora, temples, etc. Rather than categorizing space into two merely dichotomous end-points, this paper focuses on the relational nature of public and private, where one type of space is a point of articulation for the other. It is at the intersection of public and private that we are best able to perceive this correlation. Paramount to understanding Roman public and private space is an intimate knowledge of the physical locations where these abstract concepts are expressed architecturally. Data gathered over the field seasons of 2003 and 2004 at the northwest corner of the forum at Pompeii demonstrate an important example of the intersection of public and private. This part of the forum reveals many changes, including the suppression of the street west of the public latrines, the latrines themselves, the so-called granary, and two likely shops (spaces VII.7.24 and 25). These changes to the public face of the forum inevitably affected the fate of the residential spaces to the west. Through close observation of the construction techniques and materials, and their diachronic sequence within the immediate urban fabric, it is possible to gain an understanding of how the Romans negotiated the concepts and limits of space.
Pompeii, genius loci, and Archaeological Tourism
by
Kevin Cole
The Romans believed that, lik... more Pompeii, genius loci, and Archaeological Tourism by Kevin Cole
The Romans believed that, like people, places had inner spirits (genii locorum) that determined their essence. The idea of genius loci, or spirit of place, has persisted throughout history although it has not always been expressly named as such. In this presentation, I will discuss the Roman idea of genius loci, its physical expression in public areas such as Pompeii’s forum and necropoleis, and its connection to memory. Finally, I will explore how the notional construct of ‘spirit of place’ relates to a modern interest in experiencing different places by touring archaeological sites. Pompeii, again, provides the best example as it is the most visited archaeological site in the world. Such a discussion is timely in light of the recent building collapses at Pompeii. These collapses bring to the forefront problems of cultural heritage management, the preservation of the excavated area of Pompeii, and the paradoxical nature of archaeological tourism, where the sheer volume of people helps advance the destruction of the site, while at the same time providing much needed revenue.
My research at Pompeii centers on some previously neglected spaces; spaces that surround the Foru... more My research at Pompeii centers on some previously neglected spaces; spaces that surround the Forum, but in many ways have been cut off from it through architectural adaptation. Looking at a plan we can see some interesting areas not explained in scholarship or commented on in the excavation notebooks. What about these places in between the Public and the Private? What were they, but more importantly what can they tell us about the changing ideas of urban space? In what follows, I wish to show you how three of these liminal areas play very important roles in understanding the urban growth of Pompeii. The period just prior to the eruption in AD 79 will, by necessity be the focus, as I am dealing only with standing remains. Where possible, however, with some careful looking, we may be able to catch some small, but significant glimpses of earlier periods and demonstrate what changes occurred in them.
More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academi... more More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academic discourse and the popular imagination. This volume brings together a collection of ten papers that advance, challenge and revise the present conceptions of the city's art, industry and infrastructure.
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2011)
More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academic discourse and the popular imagination. This volume brings together a collection of ten papers that advance, challenge and revise the present conceptions of the city's art, industry and infrastructure.
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2010)
This dissertation examines the interaction of public and private space in the area of Pompeii’s f... more This dissertation examines the interaction of public and private space in the area of Pompeii’s forum. By means of a rigorous methodology of masonry analysis to establish a relative chronology for the structures in and around the zone of the forum, the forces of urban change are revealed and placed into their historical, social, political and cultural contexts. Thus, a detailed examination of the changing role of public and private space reveals that the standing remains of architecture provide the evidence necessary to establish the reflexive nature of spatial organization at Pompeii.
Four nearly identical inscriptions from Pompeii record Titus Suedius Clemens restoring to the com... more Four nearly identical inscriptions from Pompeii record Titus Suedius Clemens restoring to the community of Pompeii public places held by private individuals. A primipilaris and former centurion of the Legion X Gemina, Clemens was an imperial agent whose presence at Pompeii places the city into the greater narrative of Vespasian’s economic policy during the 70s A.D. and provides evidence of the relationship between Pompeii and Rome. This paper examines the connection between the two individuals named in the texts (Titus Suedius Clemens and Vespasian), and traces Clemens’s career through inscriptions and Tacitus, to reveal how and when the four Pompeii inscriptions were setup; contextualizes the actions of Clemens within the larger historical circumstances of the fiscal policies of Vespasian to explain why he sent an agent to Pompeii; and finally, analyzes the find spots of the four inscriptions Clemens erected to enhance our understanding of loca publica at Pompeii. Studies in which these inscriptions play a central role have focused on either their specific legal meaning or outlining Clemens’s military career. What is still needed, however, is a full account of the context in which they were created.
This article outlines a new methodology developed to disentangle the hitherto incomprehensible ma... more This article outlines a new methodology developed to disentangle the hitherto incomprehensible maze of poorly preserved architecture at the Archaic through late Roman period Panhellenic sanctuary at Isthmia, Greece, into clearly defined buildings with their relative construction phases. The methodology combines on-site architectural analyses with the digitisation and reintegration of the site's legacy data within a GIS. The results of this study, still in its preliminary stages, reveal an area east of the Temple of Poseidon at Isthmia as a built environment of rather large and complex units in contrast to the conventional interpretation of a series of small and unimportant structures.
While it is a common observance that all entrances to Pompeii's forum were blocked to wheeled tra... more While it is a common observance that all entrances to Pompeii's forum were blocked to wheeled traffic, little further attention has been paid to these portals into the monumental heart of the city. The result of this scholarly neglect is the tendency to treat the entrances as a single, undifferentiated category of architecture. This is patently not the case. While some access points received elaboration through architectural ornamentation, such as the arches flanking the Temple of Jupiter, other entries were dramatically reduced or removed entirely by the construction of monumental buildings, thus impacting the systems of material supply and removal throughout the city. On the other hand, openings from Via di Marina and Via dell'Abbondanza punched wide intercolumniations in the forum colonnade, and yet did not create a clear visual passage across the open space of the forum. At the same time, both of these streets were also blocked farther along their length, barring wheeled traffic and transforming the character of the urban environment radiating from the forum. Still other entrances reveal some of the Pompeians' intentions for supplying water to the area and provide important evidence as to the progress of reconstruction after the A.D. 62 earthquake. Thus, architecturally and 'practically' the entrances to the forum at Pompeii were each a unique threshold communicating between distinct urban landscapes. Through careful examination they reveal not only their own multiple functions and embedded social meanings, but also important relationships to the streets, the surrounding structures, and the life of the ancient town.
The area of Region VII east of the forum of Pompeii has generated scholarly interest over the las... more The area of Region VII east of the forum of Pompeii has generated scholarly interest over the last decade. The region has been characterized by A. Wallace-Hadrill (Cornell and Lomas, Urban Society in Roman Italy [1995] 39–62) as the negative aspect of a moral geography due to its narrow streets and evidence for prostitution. R. Lawrence has described the area as an urban core of “integrated through-routes” (Roman Pompeii [1994] 103). More recently E. Poehler (“The Interaction of the Water System and Traffic System at Pompeii,” 104th Annual Meeting Abstracts [San Francisco 2004]) has discussed Region VII as a locus of tightly controlled civic infrastructure where the movement and restriction of traffic is intimately tied to the water system and not a specific “socially zoned” area of deviant behavior. These three differing interpretations of the same district of Pompeii are not easily reconciled and therefore warrant further investigation of Region VII. The 2005 field season focused on assessing the buildings to the east of the Imperial Cult Building and the Macellum. Because Region VII, Insula IX is a nexus of public, private, industrial, and commercial complexes it provides an excellent opportunity to study the physical and ideological interplay between these types of constructed spaces. Examination of the structural and stratigraphic relationships of the standing architecture indicates significant changes to this zone of Pompeii and demonstrates that the catalyst for these adjustments was the monumentalizing of the east side of the forum. These changes caused a ripple effect through the insula and echo comparable modifications occurring elsewhere around the forum. This paper charts these alterations and provides alternative conclusions about the characterization of this vicinity of Pompeii.
Roman archaeologists are familiar with the tension between public and private space, and attempts... more Roman archaeologists are familiar with the tension between public and private space, and attempts to clarify these concepts have steadily increased. Conventional studies have focused separately on (1) private spaces, typically identified within houses, and (2) public spaces, identified as fora, temples, etc. Rather than categorizing space into two merely dichotomous end-points, this paper focuses on the relational nature of public and private, where one type of space is a point of articulation for the other. It is at the intersection of public and private that we are best able to perceive this correlation. Paramount to understanding Roman public and private space is an intimate knowledge of the physical locations where these abstract concepts are expressed architecturally. Data gathered over the field seasons of 2003 and 2004 at the northwest corner of the forum at Pompeii demonstrate an important example of the intersection of public and private. This part of the forum reveals many changes, including the suppression of the street west of the public latrines, the latrines themselves, the so-called granary, and two likely shops (spaces VII.7.24 and 25). These changes to the public face of the forum inevitably affected the fate of the residential spaces to the west. Through close observation of the construction techniques and materials, and their diachronic sequence within the immediate urban fabric, it is possible to gain an understanding of how the Romans negotiated the concepts and limits of space.
Pompeii, genius loci, and Archaeological Tourism
by
Kevin Cole
The Romans believed that, lik... more Pompeii, genius loci, and Archaeological Tourism by Kevin Cole
The Romans believed that, like people, places had inner spirits (genii locorum) that determined their essence. The idea of genius loci, or spirit of place, has persisted throughout history although it has not always been expressly named as such. In this presentation, I will discuss the Roman idea of genius loci, its physical expression in public areas such as Pompeii’s forum and necropoleis, and its connection to memory. Finally, I will explore how the notional construct of ‘spirit of place’ relates to a modern interest in experiencing different places by touring archaeological sites. Pompeii, again, provides the best example as it is the most visited archaeological site in the world. Such a discussion is timely in light of the recent building collapses at Pompeii. These collapses bring to the forefront problems of cultural heritage management, the preservation of the excavated area of Pompeii, and the paradoxical nature of archaeological tourism, where the sheer volume of people helps advance the destruction of the site, while at the same time providing much needed revenue.
My research at Pompeii centers on some previously neglected spaces; spaces that surround the Foru... more My research at Pompeii centers on some previously neglected spaces; spaces that surround the Forum, but in many ways have been cut off from it through architectural adaptation. Looking at a plan we can see some interesting areas not explained in scholarship or commented on in the excavation notebooks. What about these places in between the Public and the Private? What were they, but more importantly what can they tell us about the changing ideas of urban space? In what follows, I wish to show you how three of these liminal areas play very important roles in understanding the urban growth of Pompeii. The period just prior to the eruption in AD 79 will, by necessity be the focus, as I am dealing only with standing remains. Where possible, however, with some careful looking, we may be able to catch some small, but significant glimpses of earlier periods and demonstrate what changes occurred in them.
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Books by Kevin Cole
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2011)
More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academic discourse and the popular imagination. This volume brings together a collection of ten papers that advance, challenge and revise the present conceptions of the city's art, industry and infrastructure.
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2010)
Papers by Kevin Cole
Talks by Kevin Cole
by
Kevin Cole
The Romans believed that, like people, places had inner spirits (genii locorum) that determined their essence. The idea of genius loci, or spirit of place, has persisted throughout history although it has not always been expressly named as such. In this presentation, I will discuss the Roman idea of genius loci, its physical expression in public areas such as Pompeii’s forum and necropoleis, and its connection to memory. Finally, I will explore how the notional construct of ‘spirit of place’ relates to a modern interest in experiencing different places by touring archaeological sites. Pompeii, again, provides the best example as it is the most visited archaeological site in the world. Such a discussion is timely in light of the recent building collapses at Pompeii. These collapses bring to the forefront problems of cultural heritage management, the preservation of the excavated area of Pompeii, and the paradoxical nature of archaeological tourism, where the sheer volume of people helps advance the destruction of the site, while at the same time providing much needed revenue.
In what follows, I wish to show you how three of these liminal areas play very important roles in understanding the urban growth of Pompeii. The period just prior to the eruption in AD 79 will, by necessity be the focus, as I am dealing only with standing remains. Where possible, however, with some careful looking, we may be able to catch some small, but significant glimpses of earlier periods and demonstrate what changes occurred in them.
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2011)
More than 250 years after its discovery, Pompeii continues to resonate powerfully in both academic discourse and the popular imagination. This volume brings together a collection of ten papers that advance, challenge and revise the present conceptions of the city's art, industry and infrastructure.
The discussions of domestic art in this book, a perennial topic for Pompeian scholars, engage previously neglected subjects such as wall ornaments in domestic decoration, the sculpture collection in the house of Octavius Quartio, and the role of the covered walkways in luxury villa architecture. The famous cupid's frieze from the house of the Vettii is given a novel and intelligent reinterpretation. The place of industry at Pompeii, in both the physical and economic landscapes has long been overlooked. The chapters on building practice in inhabited houses, on the presence of fulling workshops in atrium houses, and on the urban pottery industry serve as successful contributions to a more complete understanding of the life of the ancient city.
Finally, this volume breaks new ground in the consideration of the urban infrastructure of Pompeii, a topic that has won serious attention only in the last decades, but one that is playing an increasingly central role in Pompeian studies. The final three chapters offer a reassessment of the Pompeian street network, a scientific analysis of the amount of lead in Pompeian drinking water, and a thorough analysis of the water infrastructure around the forum that supported its architectural transformation in the last decades before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. 200p, 99 illus. (Oxbow Books 2010)
by
Kevin Cole
The Romans believed that, like people, places had inner spirits (genii locorum) that determined their essence. The idea of genius loci, or spirit of place, has persisted throughout history although it has not always been expressly named as such. In this presentation, I will discuss the Roman idea of genius loci, its physical expression in public areas such as Pompeii’s forum and necropoleis, and its connection to memory. Finally, I will explore how the notional construct of ‘spirit of place’ relates to a modern interest in experiencing different places by touring archaeological sites. Pompeii, again, provides the best example as it is the most visited archaeological site in the world. Such a discussion is timely in light of the recent building collapses at Pompeii. These collapses bring to the forefront problems of cultural heritage management, the preservation of the excavated area of Pompeii, and the paradoxical nature of archaeological tourism, where the sheer volume of people helps advance the destruction of the site, while at the same time providing much needed revenue.
In what follows, I wish to show you how three of these liminal areas play very important roles in understanding the urban growth of Pompeii. The period just prior to the eruption in AD 79 will, by necessity be the focus, as I am dealing only with standing remains. Where possible, however, with some careful looking, we may be able to catch some small, but significant glimpses of earlier periods and demonstrate what changes occurred in them.