Herculaneum Conservation Project

[First posted in AWOL 14 April 2011.  Updated 27 March 2012 - see the new video on the project]

Herculaneum Conservation Project

The Herculaneum Conservation Project was set up by David W. Packard, president of the Packard Humanities Institute (a philanthropic foundation), with the aim of supporting the Italian State, through the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei (the local heritage authority), in preserving this uniquely valuable, but at the same time fragile, archaeological site.

Herculaneum was overwhelmed by the same volcanic eruption of Vesuvius as its neighbouring city of Pompeii in AD 79. Exploration of the ancient city started under the Bourbon kings of Naples in 1738, later open-air excavations were carried out at various times until the end of the twentieth century. Much smaller than Pompeii, Herculaneum is less of a household name today but the particular circumstances of the town’s burial mean that many features of Herculaneum bring the past to life more vividly even than Pompeii.  While Pompeii was covered in a blanket of ash and pumice pebbles (lapilli) only some 10 metres deep, Herculaneum was encased in compacted layers of volcanic material that consolidated into rock, at some points to a depth of up to 25 metres. For this reason many organic features, including wooden beams and furniture, are well preserved at Herculaneum, unlike most archaeological sites in the world, and in many houses it is possible to see upper floors. At the same time, such upper floors and delicate wooden material are particularly fragile, and this unique site stands in constant danger of disintegration unless sustained efforts are made for its conservation.

Since 2001 the Herculaneum Conservation Project, a collaboration between the Packard Humanities Institute and the Soprintendenza, supported by the British School at Rome, has sought to address some of the most pressing threats to the survival of the site. The focus has been on infrastructural problems – roofing and drains. It has also sought by scientific experiment to analyse the critical conservation risks and to develop better approaches to solving or reducing them. It has stressed the importance of regular maintenance with the development of sustainable programmes for the future. In the course of work, it has made many new archaeological discoveries, and cast new light on the history of the site. It tries to involve the local community closely in its activities, has undertaken joint projects with the town council, and helped set up the Herculaneum Centre.

The Herculaneum Conservation Project is undertaken by a large interdisciplinary team of specialists, most of whom are Italian. It is overseen by a Scientific Committee involving Italian and international experts in archaeology and conservation. It is directed by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, formerly Director of the British School at Rome, and currently Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.  Operations on site are overseen by the Project Manager, Jane Thompson and by the Director of the archaeological site, Maria Paola Guidobaldi.

The project provides access to a variety of useful resources, including:

Reports
The Herculaneum Conservation Project periodically reports to its Scientific Committee at meetings where recommendations are made for future strategy. Before these meetings the team write reports that summarise and illustrate the work carried out over the previous year. Here below you can download the last two annual reports:

Rapporto annuale 2008-2009
Annual report 2009-2010

Bibliography
No conservation interventions can be properly carried out and no archaeological research taken forward without understanding the body of work that has been left by previous practitioners and researchers. The Herculaneum Conservation Project has been gathering relevant bibliographic material and recording it in an archive. The list that can be downloaded here is the result of ongoing research related to site conservation.
Academic researchers should also consult:
McIlwaine, I.C. (2009) Herculaneum: a guide to the printed sources. Bibliopolis.
Garcia y Garcia Laurentino (1998) Nova Bibliotheca Pompeiana. 250 anni di bibliografia archeologica. Rome, Bardi.

Publications
To download the Herculaneum Conservation Project’s bibliography, click here.
SPECIAL EDITIONS
Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites (2007)

• Introduction: the Herculaneum Conservation Project (Andrew Wallace-Hadrill)
• Conservation and management challenges in a public-private partnership for a large archaeological site (Herculaneum, Italy) (Jane Thompson)
• Archaeology and conservation at Herculaneum: from the Maiuri campaign to the Herculaneum Conservation Project (Domenico Camardo)
• Conservation measures for an archaeological site at risk (Herculaneum, Italy): from emergency to maintenance (Paola Pesaresi, Monica Martelli Castaldi)
• New and existing forms of protective shelter at Herculaneum: towards improving the continuous care of the site (Paola Pesaresi, Gionata Rizzi)

Forma Urbis (2005)

• Far rinascere Ercolano (Maria Paola Guidobaldi)
• Ercolano: case ed abitanti (Andrew Wallace-Hadrill)
• Le terme ercolanesi (Sarah Court)
• L’acqua: fontane e fogne (Domenico Camardo)
• La riscoperta di Ercolano (Domenico Camardo)
• La protezione e la valorizzazione di un sito a rischio (Jane Thompson)
• Gli affreschi, i pavimenti, le superfici architettoniche: come arrestare il degrado (Monica Martelli Castaldi)
• I falchi di Ercolano (Monica Martelli Castaldi, Sarah Court)
• Ercolano nel contesto internazionale (Gionata Rizzi)

CONFERENCE PAPERS

• The city within a city: conservation and community at Herculaneum (2009; Sarah Court at the annual conference of the Association for Heritage Interpretation “Making the Past work for the Future: interpretation for regenerating places and communities”)
• 3D laser scanning as a tool for conservation: the experiences of the Herculaneum Conservation Project (2006; Massimo Brizzi, Sarah Court, Ascanio D’Andrea, Anselmo Lastra, Daniele Sepio at the CIPA/VAST  conference on “The e-volution of Information Communication Technology in Cultural Heritage”)
• Planning a conservation project: the information system of the Insula Orientalis I (2005; Massimo Brizzi, Ascanio D’Andrea, Daniele Sepio, Michele De Silva, Sarah Court at the CIPA conference on “Heritage documentation: international cooperation to save the world’s cultural heritage”)
• An introduction to the Herculaneum Conservation Project (2003; Andrew Wallace-Hadrill at the World Monuments Fund symposium on “Conservation in the Shadow of Vesuvius”)
• The Herculaneum Conservation Project: architectural aspects (2003; Gionata Rizzi at the World Monuments Fund symposium on “Conservation in the Shadow of Vesuvius”)
• Preserving the decorative surfaces of Herculaneum (2003; Monica Martelli Castaldi at the World Monuments Fund symposium on “Conservation in the Shadow of Vesuvius”)
• The contribution of the archaeologist to restoration work on the Insula Orientalis I at Herculaneum (2003; Domenico Camardo at the World Monuments Fund symposium on “Conservation in the Shadow of Vesuvius”)

EXCAVATION REPORTS

• Indagini archeologiche nella Casa dell’Atrio a Mosaico di Ercolano (IV,2; 1) (2006; Maria Paola Guidobaldi, Domenico Camardo, Domenico Esposito, Elena Tommasino)

CONTRIBUTIONS IN PUBLICATIONS

• What Lies Beneath – Raising the Roof (2010; Domenico Camardo, Mario Notomista, Sarah Court in Current World Archaeology)
• Saving Herculaneum (2009; Sarah Court in the DK Eyewitness publication ‘Ancient Rome Expert Files’, a guide to ancient Rome for children)
• Learning Together: Sharing Conservation Decisions with the Herculaneum Conservation Project (2007; Jane Thompson, Sarah  Court)

DISSERTATIONS AND REPORTS BY INTERNS

• Il culto domestico ad Ercolano: le evidenze archeologiche (2010; Chiara Maria Marchetti; Università del Salento)
• La Casa d’Argo ad Ercolano (2009; Ciro Montella; Università di Bari)
• Gypsum and other dissolvable salts as the main cause of decay of plasters and masonry at Herculaneum (2006; Silvia Raffaello; Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation)

and more