The neighborhood of VIII.7.1-15 near Pompeii's entertainment district and the Stabian Gate (plan copyright the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei)

This neighborhood was selected for intensive investigation because of its unique potential to reveal the developing relationship between public and private space in the Roman city: each of the private buildings were connected to the so-called 'entertainment district' - an area comprised of two theatres, a large public colonnaded courtyard, three temples, and a forum. This was the social and cultural centre of Pompeii. The buildings chosen for excavation line one of the major thoroughfares of Pompeii, just inside one of its gates (the Porta Stabia). Even so, no stratigraphic excavations have ever taken place here since they were first cleared of volcanic debris - then left to be consumed by vegetation - just over a century ago. PARP:PS offers the rare opportunity to begin new and exciting research into a forgotten corner of Pompeii (not even the tourists enter here), where such interestingly diverse buildings await modern archaeological investigation and countless questions.

At the generous consent of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei and the Beni Culturali, we began our excavations in the summer of 2005. Our preliminary aims were first to establish the structural shape of the city block – the delineation of properties and their number – then to turn towards uncovering and refining the complete sequence of social and urban activities that defined this corner of the city. Over the four seasons we have opened 21 trenches across the area, which combined with architectural analyses and a preliminary study of the material record have established for the first time that six separate properties defined this city block in 79 AD. Our preliminary research has also spanned the full sequence of human occupation in the area – from identifying the important layering of geological events (both natural and artificial) to charting the developmental history of each of the six properties through to 79 CE.

• Excavation: the stratigraphic excavation of subsoil deposits are producing a record of the diachronic history of VIII.7.1-15. Our selective excavations are located in those areas where the ancient floor surface has eroded away, or does not survive in situ.
• Artifact Recovery and Analysis: full recovery of both the artifactual and ecofactual record is undertaken. 5mm mesh sieves are used to screen all material recovered from the excavations. Select deposits undergo flotation sampling for the recovery of biological remains.  
• Architectural Survey: the archaeological stratigraphy is integrated with the study, interpretation, and recording of all surviving architectural structures throughout VIII.7.1-15. All surviving walls are documented, drawn, and photographed. Mortar samples assist in the interpretation of phasing. All of these measures are producing a detailed sequence of the standing structures as they relate to the subsoil excavations. Much of this methodology is closely related to the work of the University of Cincinnati's East Isthmia Archaeology Project (for a published account, see Ellis, Gregory, Poehler, and Cole 2008).
• Geophysics: in April of 2009, in collaboration with the British School at Rome, we will undertake a geophysical survey of the subterranean environment of VIII.7.1-15. This survey will also include the neighbouring Quadriportico dei Teatri, parts of the Odeon, and the Porta Stabia and its necropolis to further integrate the archaeological record of a large and complex region of Pompeii.  
• Conservation: we run a conservation lab on site and in collaboration with the Soprintendenza archeologica di Pompei. Our lab allows us to provide immediate treatment to many of our most fragile artefacts, and helps us to ensure that we have appropriate collection and storage strategies of the archaeological artefacts for their long-term survival and study.

Research Objectives

The project research objectives can be summarized as:

1. What is the developmental sequence of the substructures and standing architecture of VIII.7.1-15?
   
   
2. Why did this corner of VIII.7 retain, exclusively, its domestic and commercial character following the intensive reorganization of the neighboring theater district? (cf. Zaccaria Ruggiu, 1995; Richardson, 1988, 67-87)
   
   
3. How did this part of the city develop in relation to the other major developmental periods of the city? (cf. von Gerkan, 1940; D'Ambrosio and De Caro, 1989; De Caro, 1992; Dobbins, 1994; Sommella, 1994, 179-180; Zaccaria Ruggiu, 1995; Geertman, 1998; Carandini, Carafa, and D'Alessio, 2001; Dickmann and Pirson, 2001;2002)
   
   
4. Does this area of the city retain evidence for archaic foundations which have been discovered in other areas? (Fulford and Wallace-Hadrill, 1999; Dickmann and Pirson 2002)
   
   
5. How did this area relate spatially, temporally, and socially with the adjacent Porta Stabia and fortification wall? (Maiuri, 1930;1943; Krischen, 1941, 6-18; De Caro, 1985; Chiaramonte Treré, 1986, 13-50) 
   
   
6. Can a geophysical survey of the courtyard of the quadriportico dei teatri reveal if buildings once neighboring or attached to VIII.7.1-15 were destroyed by its construction? If so, what were their relationships? Once a relative sequence of building events is established between the two areas, can the dating of stratified deposits at VIII.7.1-15 contribute toward a dating for the quadriportico dei teatri, for which no date has yet been forwarded? (Nb. no archaeological excavation is planned in the quadriportico dei teatri. Cf. Richardson, 1988, 67-87) 
   
   
7. Why did the commercial character of VIII.7.1-15 differ from that on the opposite side of the via Stabiana, at I.1, I.2, and I.3? (Ellis, 2004a; 2004b)
   
   
8. How did these buildings at this particular entrance to the city relate with the developments and arrangements documented in the north of the city, particularly around the Porta Ercolano, Porta Vesuvio, Porta Capua, and Porta Nola? (De Caro, 1979; Bon and Jones, 1997; Sakai and Iorio, 1999)
   
   
9. Using ArcGIS®, what can the location of the various artifacts tell about the function of each space, and the spatial arrangement of activities (Cahill, 2002; Allison, 2004; Allison, Fairbairn, Ellis, and Blackall 2004)

Jakob Philipp Hackert's The Excavations of Pompeii showing the Entertainment District & Temple of Isis. The neighborhood of VIII.7.1-15 is still mostly buried in this late 18th century painting.