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Wednesday 30 December 2009
Book: Affreschi Romani
"Affreschi Romani", il nuovo libro di Umberto Pappalardo
E' in libreria il nuovo lavoro di Umberto Pappalardo, docente di Archeologia pompeiana presso l'Università "Suor Orsola Benincasa" di Napoli. Il volume intitolato "Affreschi Romani" si inserisce in maniera nuova nel settore dei studi riguardanti la pittura romana, rivisitando e aggiornando l'analisi di questa straordinaria arte antica.
Nuovo è anche l'approccio con il quale l'archeologo propone la sintesi del suo lavoro: un' accurata indagine che si avvale sia delle fonti antiche, come Varrone, Vitruvio Plinio, Svetonio e lo storico Sisenna, sia di esempi concreti. Prendono così forma le straordinarie descrizioni delle dimore campane di età repubblicana di Terzo e Quarto Stile, delle residenze dell'Esquilino che, con il loro ciclo pittorico omerico, rappresentano le testimonianze più antiche di pittura del paesaggio datate intorno al 50 – 40 a.C.
Seguono la Villa di Livia a Prima Porta fino ad arrivare alla celebre Domus Aurea di Nerone che impersona in pieno lo sviluppo conosciuto dal Quarto Stile a Roma.
Lo studioso inoltre dimostra di come non ci si debba sorprendere che ogni città della provincia italica vivesse e rielaborasse in maniera propria il riflesso di quanto avvenisse nella capitale: quello della pittura è un caso emblematico poiché rispecchia la volontà da parte dei Romani di avere un rapporto di continuità con il mondo greco, arrivando anche all'acquisizione ed imitazione dei modelli ellenici facendoli propri. Questo è palese nell'evoluzione dei cosiddetti "quattro stili pompeiani" individuati dallo studioso tedesco August Mau (1840 – 1909), classificati sulla base degli esempi di Pompei ma diffusi in realtà in tutto il mondo romano.
Tuesday 29 December 2009
Individuato l'antico Teatro romano di Baia
Monday 28 December 2009
AIA Program and Blogging Pompeii Social Event!
Session: 4D: Politics of Archaeology, Friday, January 8, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
1. Staging excavation at Pompeii (Joanne T. Berry, Swansea University)
Session: 5C: Subcultures in Roman Social Life: Negotiating Non-Elite Identity and Outsider Status, Friday, January 8, 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
4. Street Theater in Five Acts: Pompeian Performances of Subcultural Identities (Jeremy Hartnett, Wabash College)
Session: 5H: Baths and the City, Friday, January 8, 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
3. Campanian Baths: Indigenizing Inspiration in the Form and Function of Public Baths (Tanya Henderson, University of Alberta)
Session: 6B: Pompeii, Friday, January 8, 2:45 PM - 5:15 PM
1. Dialogues of Graffiti in the House of Maius Castricius (Rebecca R. Benefiel, Washington and Lee University)
2. Pompeii's Water Supply: A Reappraisal Suggested by New Geochemical Analyses of Sinter Deposits (Duncan Keenan-Jones, Macquarie University, John Hellstrom, University of Melbourne, and Russell Drysdale, Newcastle University)
3. How the Alexander Mosaic was Used (Martin Beckmann, University of Western Ontario)
4. Dine and Dash: Zooarchaeological Comparisons among Households in Pompeii (Michael MacKinnon, University of Winnipeg)
5. Re-contextualizing the Naples Philosophers Mosaic (Tamara Durn, Cleveland Museum of Art/Case Western Reserve University)
Let me know if I've missed any.
Now, I feel that the AIA is a good excuse for another Blogging Pompeii Social Event! I suggest that we meet after the 'Pompeii' session on Friday afternoon, and retire to the closest bar for an hour or two. (This is not restricted to Blogging Pompeii contributors - anyone who wants to come and talk Pompeii is welcome). So, who's game?
Wednesday 23 December 2009
Pompei ed Ercolano in musica
Le musiche di Piazzolla nella Casa dei Cervi, Mozart a Villa dei Misteri, e ancora le note di Paisiello, Paganini, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Morricone, Gershwin da ascoltare tra le mura delle domus più famose: quest'anno Pompei ed Ercolano sono 'aperti per ferie'. A Natale e Capodanno i visitatori avranno una sorpresa: dieci concerti straordinari per amplificare la magia degli scavi vesuviani in un'inedita atmosfera di festa.
L'iniziativa, che non comporta alcuna maggiorazione al prezzo del biglietto, è stata resa possibile grazie ad uno specifico accordo sindacale raggiunto tra la Soprintendente, Mariarosaria Salvatore, e le organizzazioni sindacali.
"Far vivere il nostro patrimonio archeologico ai turisti – ha dichiarato il Commissario delegato Marcello Fiori – anche nei giorni delle festività, attraverso la musica nelle sue diverse espressioni, è un modo per proporre un percorso originale di valorizzazione e di accoglienza".
Questo il programma in dettaglio dei concerti straordinari di Pompei e Ercolano:
25 Dicembre dalle ore 10 alle ore 12
• QUARTETTO MITIJA - Villa dei Misteri
Musiche di Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart e Franz Joseph Haydn.
• TRIO RESONARE - Domus del Menandro
Musiche di Antonio Vivaldi, Giovanni Paisiello, Niccolò Paganini, George Friedrich Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart e Ludwig van Beethoven.
• AN ARPERC' - Domus di Casca Longa
Melodie natalizie, musica celtica e britannica, tarantelle del sud.
• QUARTETTO D'ARCHI MAURICE RAVEL - Domus del Poeta Tragico
Musiche di Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Strauss, Nicola Piovani, Astor Piazzolla, Ennio Morricone e George Gershwin.
1° gennaio dalle ore 11 alle ore 13
• TRIO RESONARE - Domus del Citarista
Musiche di Antonio Vivaldi, Giovanni Paisiello, Niccolò Paganini, George Friedrich Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart e Ludwig van Beethoven.
• AN ARPERC' - Domus della Fontana Piccola
Melodie natalizie, musica celtica e britannica, tarantelle del sud.
• QUARTETTO D'ARCHI MAURICE RAVEL - Domus del Poeta Tragico
Musiche di Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Strauss, Nicola Piovani, Astor Piazzola, Ennio Morricone e George Gershwin.
25 dicembre dalle ore 10 alle ore 12
• VIAGGIO IN DUO - Domus dei Cervi
Brani inediti, musiche di Astor Piazzolla, George Gershwin, Nino Rota ed Ennio Morricone.
• QUARTETTO MARTUCCI - Domus del Bel Cortile
Musiche di George Bizet, Astor Piazzolla, Claude Debussy e Johann Sebastian Bach.
1° gennaio dalle ore 11 alle ore 13
• QUARTETTO MARTUCCI - Domus del Bel Cortile
Musiche di George Bizet, Astor Piazzolla, Claude Debussy e Johann Sebastian Bach.
Le visite guidate e le aperture straordinarie interesseranno anche gli altri siti archeologici della Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni archeologici di Napoli e Pompei, secondo il seguente programma:
OPLONTIS e STABIA (25 dicembre e 1° gennaio ore 9,00 – 17,00 )
Visite guidate alla Villa di Poppea (Oplontis) e alle Ville di Arianna e S.Marco (Stabia)
MUSEO DI BOSCOREALE (25 dicembre e 1° gennaio ore 9,00 – 17,00 )
"Un ospite d'Eccezione", esposizione temporanea della statua marmorea di Demetra rinvenuta negli scavi della Villa dei Papiri di Ercolano.
MUSEO DI NOLA (25 dicembre 9,00 – 14,00 e 1° gennaio ore 14,00 – 19,00)
Esposizione dei dipinti attribuiti alla Bottega di Micco Spadaro.
BAIA (25 dicembre e 1° gennaio 9,00 – 14,00 )
Apertura del Tempio di Diana e del Tempio di Venere
CUMA (25 dicembre e 1° gennaio 9,00 – 14,00 )
Apertura Masseria del Gigante, Tempio di Giove, Mura Settentrionali e Necropoli
MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE (25 dicembre 9,00 – 14,00 e 1° gennaio ore 14,00 – 19,00)
Mostra Farnese
Mostra L'Ora X di G. Paolini
Volcano Mt Mayon to erupt
Those who are following the eruption patterns closely after the volcanic activity hit major newsources last week will notice that the volcano is renowned for its perfect cone shape (similar to the likely depiction of a cone-shaped Vesuvius dating from the first century AD) prior to blowing off much of the cone. The eruption pattern also includes up to a thousand earthquake tremors per hour and scientists with PHILVOCS are predicting a pyroclastic flow if the volcano moves to from its current Level 4 eruption to a Level 5 alert (an active volcanic eruption), which is expected imminently.
The volcano has been spewing lava and ash for several days and major attempts to remove those occupying cities and settlements around the volcano were begun several days ago (documented in photos at the above link), but some people are refusing to leave their homes and belongings. Volcanic eruptions over the last 400 years have resulted in destruction in the area, including a catastrophic eruption almost 200 years ago that covered an entire town, but the volcano has also created intensely fertile landscapes for agriculture.
For those of us who study the Vesuvian region in antiquity, let us hope that those occupying the area are able to escape safely, as Vesuvius and other volcanic catastrophes have illustrated too succinctly that distance is the only safety that can be provided.
Monday 21 December 2009
Te Papa shows off A Day in Pompeii
Sunday 20 December 2009
Blogging Pompeii survey results!
Overall the comments were extremely positive and constructive. Here is a brief summary, which I have divided into 1) Things we can do now; 2) Things we can do with a bit of help; and 3) Things we (unfortunately) can't do.
1) Things we can do now
i) There was a great deal of discussion and comment about the current policy of only allowing named contributors to comment on posts. In the end, more people wanted to keep the current restriction rather than remove it - although it was a close-run thing.
Here is my solution: the current restriction will remain, but comments can be emailed to firstname.lastname@example.com. We will then post them on readers' behalf. Alternatively, anyone with a Facebook account can comment freely on the Blogging Pompeii mirror site.
ii) There were some useful comments about the structure of the blog. I have already made a few changes, including removing the label cloud (which was getting a bit unwieldly) and making the search box more obvious. You can now also see a list of recent posts - which at least gives an overview of current activity to those who are too busy to visit the blog every day. If you have any other suggestions about structure or appearance, email them to me.
2. Things we can do with a bit of help.
i) The most popular items on Blogging Pompeii are the news about current events and news about current research initiatives. However, MANY people want more news about current field work. This is unpublished- apart from occasional press releases - which means that we need researchers in the field to post information about their work. This is obviously tricky since Blogging Pompeii is a blog, not a formal publication. But there are a few possibilities here:
1. Contributors can keep their profiles updated with news of their current projects.
2. Contributors, or anyone with a current project, could send in links to their project websites to be added to the list of current projects, and can post when updates have been made to these websites.
3. Contributors can consider writing a brief informal summary of their work for Blogging Pompeii, to tide us over until proper publication.
4. Contributors should post or email in any new publications about their work.
5. Perhaps we can interview people about their current projects. If anyone would like to interview a fellow scholar for Blogging Pompeii, or if anyone would like to be interviewed, email me.
ii) Discussion! Many, many people commented that they would like to see more discussion. One of the problems here is that the blog is so fast-moving that posts quickly drop from the first page. However, I think we should give discussion a chance! I am willing to start discussions (if I know anything about the topic!), or to find people to start a discussion - but I would like readers and contributors to suggest topics that they would like to discuss or see discussed. Email your ideas to email@example.com. I notice that discussions often develop out of questions asked by contributions. A good example is the recent discussion of how to identify modern mortar! In general questions get good responses - demonstrating the good will and desire to help that exists among contributors! So, questions might be another way to generate more discussion. Think about posting some questions, or email them to us.
Related to i) and ii), several people commented that they would like to see more contributors blogging about their current work.
iii) More book reviews! Ok, this would be great! But it needs contributors to review books!
iv) Web conferences and lectures. Wow! I would love that. But I have no idea how to do it, or whether blogspot blogs can do it. If anyone has any ideas about this - about how to do it practically, or about possible topics, - or if anyone would like to organise such an event, email email@example.com.
v) Project calendar. There is already a link to the Pompeiana project calendar in the right hand column. More people should use it!
vi) More links with Pompeiana.org. Yes, great! Any ideas about this should be emailed to me, or to Eric Poehler of Pompeiana.org.
3. Things we (unfortunately) can't do.
i) A weekly summary of posts. Sorry, I don't have time to do this! But in the right-hand column you can now see a list of recent posts. I hope this helps!
ii) Translation of Italian. I have a problem with providing translation: this is an academic site that aims to bring together scholars from around the world. I want to avoid the impression that this is primarily an English-language blog. Contributors should feel free to blog in their own language, in the knowledge that other scholars can understand them. I want to encourage more Italian, French, Spanish and (sigh) German, and I don't want international contributors to think that they have to blog in English (which might put them off posting at all). The idea is to be as inclusive as possible.
Providing translation is also time-consuming ...
However, for those who don't know much Italian, we will attempt to give a very brief idea of what an Italian article is about. That will help a bit, I hope.
iii) Remember that Blogging Pompeii is dynamic, not static. We can't expand the blog format on this site, and we can't set up discussion groups or email groups. We can develop more links with Pompeiana.org, however, and readers should also take a look at Peter Clements' useful AD 79 site (answers to some questions asked in the survey can be found here).
Finally, one frequent comment - readers would like to see posts from a greater number of contributors. I would say that over the year the number of people posting has steadily increased. But - if we are to have a true sense of community, which is the primary aim of this blog - more contributors need to develop the blogging habit! Contributors - embrace your inner blogger! And UPDATE YOUR PROFILE.
Remember that this blog is a democratic and open enterprise. If you have any further comments or suggestions over the coming months (and years!), email them in.
P.S. If anyone would like to see the full survey results they should email email@example.com.
Friday 18 December 2009
Visit Pompeii with the Victorians in Second Life
To read more see the Bristol website.
Help Blogging Pompeii
Thursday 17 December 2009
Christmas present suggestion: Herculaneum DVD!
I've already posted about the DVD "Herculaneum: diaries of darkness and light".
I just wanted to bring it to your attention that in the new year it will be distributed by Electa (and so available in site and museum bookshops and online) but the price will increase (to 18.90 euros).
However, the film maker, Marcellino de Baggis, has been able to sell it at the original - and lower - price on his website and will keep it at 16.90 euros until the end of year. Now's the time to get your copy for Christmas while it's still cheap!
Book: Herculaneum: A Guide to the Printed Sources
I. C. McIlwaine, Herculaneum. A guide to printed sources, 1980 - 2007 (Naples: Bibliopolis, 2009).
It can be ordered from the publisher here.
Congratulations to Ia!
Nova Bibliotheca Pompeiana
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Blogging Pompeii's First Birthday!
To celebrate ...
A Wordle image generated from Blogging Pompeii's first year of posts:
And a collection of random Twitter comments about Pompeii from the last few months (after filtering out the rock band 'Pompeii', the US town 'Herculaneum', the race-horse 'Pompeii Spirit', the nightclub 'Pompeii Lounge' and the almost daily tweets about Pink Floyd's concert in the amphitheatre of Pompeii!). I have categorised them into:
The misinformed:
'So according to the German translation of Lisa's sentence in The Simpsons the people of Pompei froze to death when the vulcano erupted.'
'Overheard at Pompeii: "So, basically, you're standing in ancient poop."'
The shocked:
'Watching a show about ancient Pompeii. There's a guy on it who is an "expert on economics of prostitution in ancient Rome." The hell?'
'Okay, Google Streetview misses out much of my city and instead adds some place in Italy. I mean I've never even heard of Pompeii.'
The frankly weird:
'I snuck into Pompeii once, in the area that was still being excavated. Saw an arm sticking out of a wall; made me sad for days.'
'Today is the anniversary of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius when God punished Pompeii for all those naked statues.'
'And as I finish my lunch, I can think only of the walls of Pompeii.'
Pompeii as a metaphor:
'Once again, Los Angeles feels like living in Pompei.'
'Inbox buried. Think Pompeii.'
'just about burned my house down by pressing 0 too many times on my microwave. Now it smells like Pompeii'
'the instructions say 'simmer,' not 'recreate the last hours of Pompeii.''
'The onion volcano NEVER gets old. You just hafta worry about them putting too much stuff in there and it going Pompeii on you'
'Dinner is served. Anger bubbles below the surface, threatening to cover everyone nearby, to trap them like residents of Pompeii.'
'God forbid if this town ever had snow fall on it; a panic would sweep the land and it would burn to the ground faster than Pompeii.'
The totally random:
'Apparently the people of ancient Pompeii "tweeted" through wall graffiti. Leaving us ancient messages about sex and bodily functions.'
'I was in Pompeii. My mom and I snuck out of the public area and found the bodies.'
'Y63: Nero kills his one kid(maybe...probly). There's an earthquake in Pompeii. They rebuild afterwards. About as smart as Californians. Heh.'
And my personal favourite, the disaffected student:
'Preparing herself mentally for when she has to listen to some old dude talk about Pompeii for 3hrs Tomorrow.'
'I hate Pompeii. Your not interesting. I wish you were never found'
'I have a sudden urge to watch Ponyo instead of studying Pompeii.'
A big thank you to everyone who has contributed over the year, and to all you who read the blog. Keep up the good work!
Monday 14 December 2009
Are there any blog readers who are wheelchair users?
We all know that archaeological sites are particularly challenging in terms of access, and it is something that the Soprintendenza is aware of and trying to prioritize (Commissario Fiori is keen to tackle this issue properly in 2010).
However, in the immediate we'd like to help improve the experience of wheelchair visitors (we being the Herculaneum Conservation Project) – and one proposal we're looking at is a scheme where you could borrow a wheelchair from the ticket office on arrival at Herculaneum, one that would be more robust, lighter and could take the curbs better.
What do you think? Is it a waste of time and money? Is your average wheelchair already robust enough to cope? Would you rather have other services offered?
Any feedback would be very much appreciated!
Thanks, Sarah
Intervista Marcello Fiori
Inauguration of the Museo Storico Archeologico di Nola
Riapertura del Museo Storico Archeologico di Nola - a cura della Presidenza della Regione Campania, del Comune di Nola, della Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei, della Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici, Paesaggistici, Storici, Artistici, ed Etnoantropologici per Napoli e Provincia - Museo Storico Archeologico di Nola - ore 16.30
a seguire
Convegno dal titolo "Attuazione e rilancio del Piano di valorizzazione dei Beni Culturali dell'Area Nolana" - interventi di Geremia Biancardi (Sindaco di Nola) ed i sindaci dell'area nolana, conclusioni di Gianfranco Nappi (Ass.Agricoltura e Coordinamento del Piano) e Oberdan Forlenza (Ass.Beni Culturali Regione Campania)
Sala dei Medaglioni del Museo Diocesano di Nola (Na) - ore 17.30
Saturday 12 December 2009
Beni archeologici a Poggiomarino. Il sindaco scrive alla Soprintendenza
Un incontro con la responsabile della Soprintendenza speciale di Napoli e Pompei per discutere degli scavi archeologici presenti a Poggiomarino.
Lo chiede il sindaco Vincenzo Vastola, che ha scritto alla dottoressa Mariarosaria Salvatore, soprintendente archeologo della Soprintendenza Speciale di Napoli e Pompei manifestando "le preoccupazioni, insieme a quelle dell'intera cittadinanza, circa la sorte dell'indagine in via Fontanelle e dell'area archeologica di Longola". Si legge nella lettera: "L'amministrazione che rappresento è vivamente interessata alla salvaguardia e alla valorizzazione in tutti i suoi aspetti dei siti archeologici oggetto di indagine, pertanto Le chiedo una informativa, per quanto è di Sua competenza, circa le attività in corso o quelle in progetto". Vastola specifica anche che il Comune è disponibile a predisporre un deposito per la conservazione dei beni archeologici di Poggiomarino: "Siamo disponibili ad individuare, in brevissimo tempo, nell'ambito del territorio comunale, un'area da attrezzare o locali idonei alla conservazione dei reperti, secondo le indicazioni della Soprintendenza". Infine la richiesta di un incontro, peraltro già fatta una prima volta il 10 novembre scorso, "nella certezza di un reciproco impegno e una comune volontà ad affrontare proficuamente i problemi". Gli scavi in via Fontanelle sono stati realizzati dalla Sovrintendenza ai beni culturali, su richiesta del commissariato di governo per la bonifica del Sarno, che in quella zona sta ultimando il nuovo sistema fognario. In pratica, ai tecnici della Sovrintendenza è stato chiesto di fare saggi di scavo nell'area dove verrà installata la tubazione fognaria per verificare l'eventuale presenza di reperti archeologici. Un lavoro preventivo che avrebbe portato alla luce importanti scoperte, sulla cui natura ora il Comune chiede informazioni. A Poggiomarino, inoltre, nel 2000 fu rinvenuto un importante sito protostorico del VI secolo avanti Cristo in località Longola, proprio mentre venivano effettuati i lavori per la costruzione del depuratore del Sarno. Per meglio seguire e valorizzare i beni archeologici di Poggiomarino, l'amministrazione comunale si avvale anche della consulenza del professor Salvatore Ciro Nappo, archeologo e autore di numerosi studi e pubblicazioni nel settore.
Book: Il rischio Vesuvio
Titolo: Il rischio Vesuvio. Storia e geodiversità di un volcano
Autore: Antonio Nazzaro
Editore: Guida
Anno: 2009
Pagine: 176
"Dalla ferita del vulcano si vedeva la lava che come una fauce rossa di drago inghiottiva le case di Torre del Greco finendo in quel mare di coralli". La sorveglianza geofisica del Vesuvio iniziò con il duca Ascanio Filomarino della Torre e fu istituzionalizzata poi, nel 1841, con la fondazione dell'Osservatorio Vesuviano. Ricordando i progressi di una felice stagione scientifica, questo libro sviluppa in una prospettiva storica gli attuali problemi del rischio vulcanico, emblema dei rischi che avvolgono l'umanità. Assieme alla storia eruttiva del vulcano più famoso della terra, più studiato e più pericoloso per il vasto territorio che si estende alle sue pendici, l'autore riporta inediti fenomeni precursori dell'eruzione del 1631 e mette in rilievo le reazioni all'attività eruttiva, sia per quanto riguarda i provvedimenti a difesa dalle eruzioni, che le pratiche religiose. Da questo punto di vista s'impone, nelle complesse connotazioni del rapporto uomo-vulcano, la figura di San Gennaro, che, con il miracolo della liquefazione del sangue, offre quasi una mistica transustanziazione magma-sangue nella quale si leniva l'angoscia, non solo delle eruzioni, ma anche delle altre catastrofi, come i terremoti e le pestilenze che colpivano la città di Napoli lungo il corso dei secoli.
Antonio Nazzaro è stato ricercatore dell'Osservatorio Vesuviano. Ha lavorato, tra l'altro, sulla storia delle idee in vulcanologia e delle eruzioni del Vesuvio, sull'origine dei musei scientifici napoletani e della sorveglianza vulcanica e sismica. Oltre al volume Il Vesuvio, storia eruttiva e teorie vulcanologiche (Napoli, 2001) ha pubblicato lavori innovativi sull'eruzione del 1631 e sulle variazioni della forma del Vesuvio negli ultimi 2000 anni.
Book: "Pompei"
Yet another book on Pompeii!
Titolo: Pompei
A cura di: Fausto Zevi
Editore: Guida
Anno: 2009
Pagine: 384
Illustrazioni: 48 a colori, 100 in b/n
Pompei ha esercitato sempre un forte richiamo su viaggiatori, letterati e artisti d'ogni tempo, divenendo volta a volta, fonte di suggestivi intrecci tra mito e realtà. Come ha scritto Stendhal, dinanzi alle sue mura il visitatore si ritrova direttamente "faccia a faccia" con l'antichità. Tuttavia proprio per l'insostituibile completezza della sua evidenza documentaria, Pompei costituisce anche un terreno nuovo di ricerca, dove ogni generazione ritrova i fondamenti della propria storia e su cui si misura ogni storico dell'antichità. L'opera vuole rispecchiare questo duplice aspetto. Alla forza evocativa delle immagini, in cui i tesori archeologici di Pompei sono colti in inusitate prospettive dall'obiettivo del grande fotografo Mimmo Jodice, il volume unisce, infatti, l'attenta analisi del sito vesuviano, opera di alcuni noti studiosi dell'antichità. L'opera è tradotta in lingua inglese.
Indice del volume:
* Mauro Cristofani - La fase etrusca di Pompei
* Stefano De Caro - La città sannitica. Urbanistica e architettura
* Fausto Zevi - La città sannitica. L'edilizia privata e la Casa del Fauno
* Stefania Adamo Muscettola - La trasformazione della città tra Silla ed Augusto
* Elio Lo Cascio - La società pompeiana dalla città ssannitica alla colonia romana.
New Years Resolutions
Our new year resolution is to improve pompeiiinpictures.com by adding two new areas for the Sarno Canal and for views of all streets. We also want to add more older pictures.
We would love to include pictures such as those taken by Tatiana Warscher before WW2, in particular those of Regio I.2 and I.3 and Regio 7.6. These insulas interest us greatly as they have changed so much over the years.
We would also be interested in any pictures from anywhere in Pompeii that you may have which show houses and features that are no longer there or not now visible.
If we had the use of some of these pictures we could return to Pompeii in the Spring to take a new photograph from exactly the same positions and publish the old and the new next to each other.
The problem with a free site such as ours is that we do not have funds to pay for lots of pictures, however all pictures are published with appropriate credits to their copyright owners.
Can anyone help identify sources where our request may be sympathetically received.
Friday 11 December 2009
Have your say about the development of Blogging Pompeii!
This your chance to have your say about Blogging Pompeii's future. Please take 60 seconds to complete this survey.
We'd like to know what you like, what you dislike, what you would change, and what ideas you have for the future. We want to hear from contributors and readers alike.
Bear in mind as you fill in the survey that Blogging Pompeii is a blog (!), not a static site like Pompeiana.org and PompeiiinPictures, and its content is changing every day. There are some things that a blog is better suited to than static sites, and vice versa. We want to develop alongside these sites, not to compete against them.
Thank you in participating in this survey! I will report back with the results next week.
Thursday 10 December 2009
Sarah Bisel: one of the 25 most influential people in forensic science
My thanks to James Atkinson of the Forensic Files for drawing my attention to this!
Wednesday 9 December 2009
Reconstruction techniques at Pompeii
Mortar - what is ancient and what is modern?
This is a big question because so much relies up on viewing a mortar up close. Occasionally it's possible to know what is a modern repair like repointing (to keep the opus incertum stones from falling apart and allowing the wall to collapse, etc), but does anyone have other markers to point out?
Blocked doorways: Blocked in antiquity or in modern times (and why)?
20th century site workers (muratore) developed a method of filling in doorways but leaving gaps at each side of the doorway to show that it was a modern fill. Of course, the largest clue lies in the modern mortar, but does anyone have further thoughts on this and/or why the muratore thought this was necessary?
Earthquake damage to walls in AD 63: How to know?
John Dobbins and the Pompeii Forum Project have carried out some great work on noting wall failure patterns and the subsequent repairs. But does anyone else have some tips?
Latrinae et Foricae: Toilets in the Roman World by Barry Hobson
The author is a Medical Doctor and has a degree in Archaeology so he knows his subject. The subject is different and not covered elsewhere in this breadth. He has worked with the Anglo American Project in Pompeii and with numerous other people. With the aid of a team of five helpers has been able to survey virtually the whole of Pompeii. Bob is very interested in latrines also, so we have probably been treading the same ground.
We are not expert enough (there can't be many who are) to perform an academic critique of the book but, in view of the interest shown on the blog have set out some detail of the structure and coverage of the book and some comments about its potential usefulness.
The book starts with Toilets across the Roman world: an introduction, looking first at Rome, Ostia and Hadrian's Villa, then Southern Italy and Sicily and finally The Empire. The second chapter on Roman Britain covers toilets for the army and toilets for civilians.
Pompeii is well covered. Chapter 3 is devoted to Pompeii but numerous other chapters use Pompeian examples. The author defines Pompeian as including all inhabitants before and after the Roman colonisation. Pompeii unlike many other Roman cities did not have a (foul) sewer system. He states that most types of properties, large and small, had latrines. It is interesting that he puts forward the theory, perhaps difficult to accept in the modern day, that many of the toilets near the doors to the street could have been used by passers by on their daily journeys around Pompeii. Certainly those who visited Pompeii during the recent restaurant closure, which included its toilets, would have wished themselves back in this ancient Pompeii.
Chapter 4 is a Chronology of toilets which apparently have existed since the third millennium BCE. Here Pompeii provides the opportunity to examine at least 200 years of toilet development. Evidence from contemporary writers suggests elite houses used chamber pots which slaves emptied into the toilets in the working areas and kitchen.
The development of Upstairs toilets is covered next. So far 15 have been identified in Pompeii. Nine out of ten samples of mineralised material taken from the downpipes have confirmed the passage of human waste.
Chapter 6 is on Privacy which the author regards as highly complex and attempts to understand the Roman culture and the behaviour it produces so as to be able to interpret the archaeological findings and establish what privacy meant in the Roman world.
Rubbish and its disposal follows, examining Roman writings as well as the impact of formation processes on original deposits. One persons cow dung is it seems another's cleansing material. The Romans apparently also had a recycling programme.
Dirt, smell and culture seeks to establish the principles of hygiene and cleanliness that operated in Roman times. It looks at attitudes to smells and hygiene as well as at the various smells from toilets, tanneries, fulleries, cesspits and rubbish. Were the wooden pegs occasionally found in walls beside or behind a latrine designed to hold garlands or such material to combat the odours? Were the people simply resigned to the smell because they could not change it?
Chapter 9 is about Water supply, usage and disposal. There was an abundance of cisterns, that of then House of the Painted Capitals holding about 69,000 litres of water. Heavy rain would cause water from the houses to flow under the door thresholds into the street, helping to cleanse them. After the introduction of piped water he finds little evidence of this being connected to the kitchen for drinking or cooking. He then looks at the evidence for flush toilets.
The book then looks at Greek and Roman "writings" on excrement, latrines and toilet utensils to determine Who used the toilet?.
Motions Maladies and Medicine looks at the dangers to public health, disease carrying flies, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and modern research on preserved faecal material and stresses the need to search diligently in the areas where such material may be found.
Who Cares about Latrines? looks at the published work on latrines, the often lack of interest in that part of the house and the relatively small amount of work on the contents of cesspits and latrines.
The final chapter outlines ideas for Future research. We hope that much more research is undertaken on latrines and in particular collated in the style of this book rather than being left as just an other room lost in a larger number of rooms.
As with many Pompeii books there are a few minor errors. Figure 65 for example is attributed to the latrine in the House of the Duc d'Aumale (VI.7.15) whereas the chalkboard in the photo indicates VI.13.11. (Another house attributed to the Duc d'Aumale is to be found at VI.9.1.) Similarly on page 51 the House of the Silver Wedding is given the location V.7.15 whereas it is at V.2.i.
We agree with the author's statements about the poor state of many of the latrines, covered in uncleared rubbish, or in our experience simply reburied. This has made identification and photography difficult for us as well.
The only negative comment we can make about the book is that nowhere does he mention pompeiiinpictures.com where you can search for "latrine" and find all those we have managed to photograph. One of the aims for pompeiiinpictures.com is to provide a resource for authors to cross check their material and eliminate any errors before publication. We are more than happy to reply to email queries and requests for help.
The book is a wealth of photographs, material, sources ancient and modern from which to draw. There are 142 illustrations with a very large number from Pompeii and Herculaneum. A 10 page bibliography includes just over a page of ancient works in translation from which the author has quoted frequently in Latin but always with an English translation. A further function of the book is as a catalogue of latrines.
We thoroughly enjoyed this book. We got a copy in Melbourne whilst visiting the Day in Pompeii exhibition earlier this year and have found it an excellent resource to cross check our web site pictures and descriptions originally "derived or deduced" from other sources.
Well worth reading.
Jackie and Bob at pompeiiinpictures
Latrinae et Foricae: Toilets in the Roman World by Barry Hobson
July 2009
Paperback, 200 pages, 142 Illustrations.
List price £14.99, AU$49.95 and US $28.95.
(Currently available with substantial discounts on the usual Internet book sites)
Article: Te Papa exhibition
Tuesday 8 December 2009
Interview: Eric Poehler and Pompeiana.org
I want to thank Eric not only for all his great work on the site, but also for answering my emails at such a productive time in his life. Eric's has recently become a dad! Yay Eric!
FT: How do you define the mission of the Pompeiana website?
EP: Pompeiana.org, I believe, can be a primary resource for all people interested in the ancient city of Pompeii. Although the site is targeted principally to academics, it is our mission to make Pompeiana.org the "one-stop shop" for researchers and the interested public alike. To accomplish this goal, the site must be more than simply the biggest list of links. Instead, we want Pompeiana.org to be an online repository for resources relating to the ancient city, eventually including original research by scholars in the field.
FT: How do you think Pompeiana fits in with other sites about Pompeii on the web? What other sites are out there that can contribute to our knowledge of Pompeii?
EP: The site should serve as a complement to the other sites online. There is no reason to try to compete with other websites, nor is there a need to 'reinvent the wheel' so to speak. Some websites will always be better at what they do. For example, YouTube will always be the best place for videos about Pompeii and Google Maps now provides street view for Pompeii offering interesting digital walk-throughs. There are three specific sites about Pompeii itself – the Pompeii Superintendency site, Pompeii in Pictures, and Blogging Pompeii– that I think Pompeiana.org strongly complements. The first of these, obviously contains a wealth of information on new and on-going initiatives, but their purpose is broader than research alone. On the other hand, the mission of the other two websites is narrower. Pompeii in Pictures is a treasure of imagery that opens up all the ruins to our eyes, including bare masonry walls, picking up with photographic recordation where the Pompei: pitture e mosaici volumes left off. Blogging Pompeii stands out, however, as the most important new tool on the web for Pompeianists. Blogging Pompeii has accomplished what Pompeiana.org has been unable to do: build an online community that can share information about the latest news, events, publications, etc. and simultaneously serve as a forum to discuss those issues. Broadly speaking, I hope Pompeiana.org will grow as a research tool to make finding and using the best parts of these sites, and others, as easy as possible. I envision taking the user from, for example, a location on a map of the ancient city to the current research on that location, images of it, and a discussion of timely opinions all with the speed of the internet.
FT: Having a bibliography for Pompeii on the site is a terrific idea & I see your page is a work in progress. What are your plans for that?
EP: A robust bibliography is primary to the academic usefulness and legitimacy of Pompeiana.org. With the assistance of keen library and IT professionals at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, I am building a bibliographic database that is accessible using the standard search terms of author, title, year and, eventually, key words. Populating such a database with citations, of course, has always been the hard part. Today, however, this difficulty can be overcome by mining the ever-expanding online sources – worldcat.org in particular – and by tapping social networking sites to ask scholars to share their references. It is fascinating to me to think of the possibilities. Not only will even the most obscure references eventually be captured, but the explosion of full-text sources online will make it possible for many books, articles, and illustrations to be instantly available. Full text is available already in particular areas. Some laudable examples are the Internet Archive, which has a number of out-of-copyright works, including Fiorelli's Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia some of the Notizie degli Scavi di antichita, the Fortuna visiva which website adds more books as well as images of Pompeii from the 18th and 19th centuries, and FastiOnline, perhaps the very best source for the latest information from the field. I want our bibliography on Pompeiana.org to be a first stop for researching the ancient city, a place to find references and to be redirected as seamlessly as possible to other online resources.
FT: Clearly it is the younger generation who immediately think of the web as a way to disseminate scholarly content. How can we convince the "old guard" that the Internet can be a great tool for academic work?
EP: The conservative answer is the standard ten-year plan, or rather, tenure plan: get it, then change the world. But certainly there are more progressive, less cynical approaches. First, we must be vigilant to ensure that what we produce is quality scholarship and not digital for the sake of being digital. In that sense, only the medium of delivery would be different. Beyond maintaining quality, the flexibility of digital formats must eventually be explored to do the things that print formats cannot. Multimedia support for narrative argumentation will be one route, nicely illustrated by the Finnish Project's treatment of the Domus Marci Lucretii. Data rich sites, such as Pim Allison's online companion to The Insula of the Menander, vol. III is another avenue that will revolutionize how we publish our ideas and the evidence that supports them.
What I think will happen is that the growing strength of online research tools to find, manage, deploy and (most importantly) analyze information will make the web a more palatable place to publish. There are also more calculating answers that fit into this scenario as well. Web publishing makes the ideas therein not only instantaneously available, but also portable, allowing those ideas to have the greatest chance to make an impact. Of course, the difference between the enormous potential readership on the web and the more limited circulation of print publishing is legitimacy. The flood gates will open when more big names in the field put their weight behind online publication.
On a more philosophical level, it is surprising to me that the power of the web can be dismissed by anyone. A computer connected to the internet is replacing so many iconic items of modern daily life – the newspaper, the television, the phonebook, the telephone – and in most cases improving how we can use those items. Watching the revolutionary events in Iran on Twitter a few months ago clearly demonstrates the raw power of even the most superficial and time wasting of online applications. The question isn't how can academia escape the omnipresence of the internet, the question is why would it want to?
FT: What other plans do you have for the future of Pompeiana?
EP: The most innovative and challenging initiative in the works for Pompeiana.org is an online Geographical Information System for Pompeii. For my dissertation research and analyses I spent hundreds of hours digitizing the city to serve as the basemap. It horrified me to learn a few years ago that others were enduring the same labors. These data should be available to scholars so that they are free to use those many hours working on their topic rather than the digital infrastructure of its representation and analysis. To this end, we are working to produce a map of Pompeii that researchers can navigate online with the additional ability to download basic spatial information to use on their local computers. In partnership with MainStreetGIS, we expect a functional Phase One GIS to be in place by early 2010 to replace the current beta version.
A GIS, however, is not to be confused with a map. Instead, a GIS uses space itself as the structuring metaphor to organize information. Thus, while an alphabetical list is a very common means to organize information, it is not particularly intuitive or flexible one. A GIS uses the representation of a place itself to contain the information about that place and in so doing, also puts the information for adjacent properties (e.g., a neighboring workshop) or associated properties (e.g., other workshops not in proximity) at the user's immediate disposal. I am encouraged by the power of this organizational structure to believe that the GIS will in the future be the primary platform for using Pompeiana.org. By linking the searchable bibliography, full-text articles and books, online images, and other electronic resources to each property, research can be done by simply clicking on the location of interest to bring together all of these materials in one place. It's a big project, but so were the indispensable works of the PPM, the CTP, and Garcia y Garcia's bibliography. Now imagine them all together, on your screen and weighing only as much as your laptop.
Finally, I would like to put out an open call to all who are interested in making a powerful online resource for Pompeii a reality. This can be done by sharing your personal bibliography, digital imagery, data, or spatial data. We are always in need of your suggestions, advice, and criticisms. Most valuable of all is sharing your time and expertise. If anyone wants to help, please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Corso di formazione: Guida turistica
See the ArcheologiAttiva website for more information on the course that starts in January 2010.
Commissario Fiori on RaiTre
You can watch the interview here which mainly focuses on the "adopt a dog" campaign.
Convegno: "Dal Tempio di Apollo di Pompei al Museo di Napoli"
Dal Tempio di Apollo di Pompei al Museo di Napoli
di Mario Grimaldi
In collaborazione con Facoltà di Lettere dell'Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa di Napoli
giovedì 17 dicembre 2009 ore 15: Napoli, Museo Archeologico
Should we rebury Pompeii?
You can imagine my knee-jerk reaction to the idea of burying Pompeii, because I'm sure you all just had it too! But since then I have been mulling the idea over. So here are my thoughts, in no particular order. I'd be really interested to know what anyone else thinks.
- This is not a new idea, but one that surfaces every few years, often alongside with the idea of building a replica Pompeii for tourists (the best versions imagine the real site left to scholars - now, there's an idea!). The thing is, a replica - whether real or digital - can't reproduce the atmosphere of Pompeii and the experience of walking its streets and entering its houses. We need to remember that Pompeii is a tourist site. I sometimes think that we scholars are there on sufferance. The SAP likes us, for sure, for I don't think the Italian government cares all that much unless there is money to be made. Perhaps I am being too cynical. But note that the majority of Fiori's current initiatives are to do with making the site more accessible and enjoyable for tourists. Even if scholars all agreed that Pompeii should be reburied, the government would never allow it to happen.
- Burying Pompeii would be an economic disaster for the region. Ok, the entrance ticket money goes directly to the site and funds (one hopes) conservation and other necessary works. But an entire modern town depends on Pompeii for its livelihood - hotels, restaurants, shops, stalls. This is an economically depressed region at the best of times. Reburying Pompeii would destroy it.
- How exactly would it be reburied? Practically, I mean. It took years of effort to get rid of the fill in the first place! Anyone who has read the excavation reports knows that this issue was a serious and costly one. Thank goodness for the A3 autostrada, since that used up a lot of lapilli! So what could be used to rebury the site, where would it come from, and how much would it cost to do it?!
- Covering Pompeii over would mean the end of stratigraphic excavation. Reconstructions would document the state of the town in AD 79 (or should I say 2009!), but investigations into Pompeii's pre-AD 79 history would stop. We wouldn't be able to answer any of our questions about the development of the site, for example.
- Would any reconstruction really be able to document everything? Scholars are finding new things all the time - I'm thinking about recent research into upper floors and on graffiti, but there are other examples too. And wouldn't the reconstructions decay too (look at the current condition of the Pompejanum at Aschaffenburg, for example)? Even computer-generated reconstructions will eventually degrade.
So is there is a solution? Personally I don't think we can stop the destruction of Pompeii. We can slow it (as they are doing in Herculaneum), but Pompeii won't be around 1000 years from now. Just look at the parts of the town excavated in the 1700s. The walls have crumbled, the wall-paintings have disappeared. And this has happened DESPITE conservation attempts (yes, the first efforts of conservation occurred in the 1770s and have continued since then). So our job is to study and record (in multiple formats) as much as we can now, and to support any efforts of conservation. There is no point complaining about the inevitable decay of the site.
Malware problem
Monday 7 December 2009
Online course: Pompeii and the Cities of the Roman World
The course overview says:
"Pompeii is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Its fame and uniqueness are,of course, due to the remarkable way in which it was preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. Using evidence from Pompeii, you can study public buildings, monuments, inscriptions and painted posters that reflect public life, houses and gardens that reveal how the people lived, shops, markets and streets where they earned their living, and tombs where they buried their dead."
Applications are currently being accepted for the January course start. For more information see the Department for Continuing Education's website.
[I've heard the tutor is quite good too!]
E' polemica sul nuovo ingresso agli scavi
"Una proposta che taglierebbe fuori dai circuiti turistici la città nuova e penalizzerebbe le attività economiche": così le associazioni di categoria cittadine, Federalberghi e Ascom, "bocciano" il progetto del commissario straordinario per l'area archeologica, Marcello Fiori, di istituire un ingresso agli scavi direttamente dall'area meeting del Santuario di Pompei. La proposta di Fiori, fa parte del più ampio piano di rilancio da 32 milioni di euro che il commissario governativo ha presentato ai sindacati nei giorni scorsi e che contempla anche tante altre iniziative per la promozione del sito, tra cui il restauro di importanti domus antiche, il potenziamento dell'impianto di videosorveglianza, l'assistenza didattica per i disabili, un albo per le guide turistiche che operano a Pompei, una pista ciclabile, la ristrutturazione del sito web, la vendita e la degustazione dei prodotti antichi, un impianto di illuminazione stabile per le visite notturne, il completamento del restauro del Teatro Grande per organizzarvi concerti ed eventi. "Tutte iniziative bellissime e che accogliamo con favore - commenta Rosita Matrone, presidente Federalberghi Pompei – ma un progetto di sviluppo complessivo non può non tener conto delle realtà locali, in primo luogo quelle istituzionali e quelle economiche. Pompei vive di turismo e di commercio e con un ingresso diretto agli scavi dal Santuario sarebbe completamente tagliata fuori da qualsiasi sviluppo e piano di rilancio. Serve, invece, un progetto complessivo da elaborare con la partecipazione di tutte le realtà locali. Noi siamo disponibili a collaborare in tal senso con il commissario Fiori, per il rilancio della città nuova e del sito archeologico. Per due volte abbiamo chiesto un incontro ma, a distanza di mesi, non abbiamo ottenuto nessuna risposta. Inoltre il tavolo tecnico con gli operatori economici, istituito dal suo predecessore, Profili, è stato improvvisamente congelato senza una spiegazione". Sulla scia dell'intervento di Matrone è anche quello di Ferdinando Pellì, presidente dell'Ascom Pompei: "Fa bene il commissario Fiori a rilanciare il sito archeologico, ma alcune decisioni, come l'ingresso dal Santuario, che avrebbero, se realizzate, un impatto così forte sulla città nuova andrebbero assunte di concerto con le istituzioni comunali e gli operatori economici. Credo che la collaborazione tra Soprintendenza e Santuario possa concentrarsi, invece, in maniera più costruttiva per la città sul recupero del Sacro Cuore, per l'istituzione di un'area museale". Marco Pirollo
Friday 4 December 2009
Conference: Lo sviluppo economico legato al turismo culturale. Recupero, conservazione e valorizzazione del patrimonio del territorio vesuviano
Pompeii now on Google Street View
Thursday 3 December 2009
Appeal to all bloggers
Christian Biggi centro[at]herculaneum.org
Looted artifacts being returned to Italy from NYC
NEW YORK — Two stolen ancient artifacts are being returned to Italy from New York City.
An Italian government representative is taking possession of them at a ceremony Wednesday. The artifacts are a Pompeii plaster wall painting and a Corinthian vase for mixing water and wine.
They were recovered by immigration and customs officials in June. Both items had been scheduled for auction in New York before they were discovered to have been stolen.
Immigration officials said the vase may have been illegally introduced into the art market by Giacomo Medici in 1985. The art dealer was convicted in Rome in 2004 of conspiracy to traffic in antiquities.
The wall painting was reported stolen in Italy in 1997.
Wednesday 2 December 2009
Siti vesuviani, un piano da 33 milioni per rivalutazione
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Rivista di Studi Pompeiani 19 (2008)
Pier Giovanni Guzzo, In memoria di Giuseppe Di Santo;
Pier Giovanni Guzzo, Intorno all esquisse di Latapie;
Claude Albore Livadie, B. Cesarano, A. D'Avella, G. Di Maio, Nuovi documenti sulla frequentazione del Bronzo medio a Poggiomarino;
Steven L. Tuck, Scheduling Spectacle: Factors Contributing to the Dates of Pompeian Munera;
Armando Cristilli, Tra evergetismo e culto imperiale: le statue-ritratto dal Macellum di Pompei;
Domenico Esposito, Un inedito affresco pompeiano nelle collezioni dell'Ashmolean Museum di Oxford;
Alessandro Gallo, Una matrice fittile votiva dall insula 1 della Regione IX di Pompei;
Mariarosaria Borriello, Note per una storia dell'indirizzario di Pompei;
Maria Rosaria Esposito, Garibaldi, Pompei e il Museo di Napoli;
Jeremy Hartnett, Fountains at Herculaneum: Sacred History, Topography, and civic Identity;
Attività di ricerca nell' area vesuviana;
Notiziario: A. D'Ambrosio, Ufficio Scavi di Pompei;
F. Pesando et al., Il Progetto Regio VI. Campagna di scavo 2007;
R. Berg, Interventi di scavo e saggi stratigrafici nella Casa di Aulo Trebio Valente a Pompei (III 2,1);
M. Grimaldi, Scavi nella Casa di Marco Fabio Rufo;
Appendice 1: A. Russo, R. Ciardiello, Un complesso di materiali votivi;
Appendice 2: R. Di Maio, M. Fedi, B. Garofalo, M. La Manna, N. Mroberti, M. G. Soldovieri, Indagini geofisiche non invasive nellarea a giardino della Casa di M. Fabio Rufo;
M. E. Pirozzi, Il restauro della Cappella di S. Paolino in Pompei Scavi;
D. Esposito, P. Rispoli, L'esperienza del restauro a Pompei. L'esempio della Casa del Moralista;
A. Ciarallo, Laboratorio di ricerche applicate.
Attività 2007;
M. P. Guidobaldi, Ufficio Editoria;
A. M. Sodo, F. Ruffo, V. Castiglione Morelli, Lattività dell' Ufficio SIAV. Primo aggiornamento e ampliamento del patrimonio informativo;
L. Fergola, Ufficio Scavi di Oplontis;
L. Fergola, M. Damo, Indagini termografiche ad alta risoluzione sugli affreschi della Sala dei Pavoni nella Villa A di Oplontis;
M. P. Guidobaldi, Ufficio Scavi di Ercolano;
M. E. Pirozzi, Lilluminazione del Parco Archeologico di Ercolano;
G. Bonifacio, Ufficio Scavi di Stabia;
G. Bonifacio, a. M. Sodo, Mostra Otium ludens;
P. G. Guzzo, Dalla ricerca alla valorizzazione dell'antica Stabiae;
D. Camardo, M. Notomista, Le indagini archeologiche nell'area del Castello di Lettere (NA) 161;
D. Camardo, M. Notomista, Le indagini archeologiche nell'area di Fontana Grande a Castellammare di Stabia;
C. Albore Livadie, P. G. Guzzo, U. Heussner, P. Kastenmeier, M. T. Pappalardo, Il progetto dendrocronologico di Poggiomarino;
Discussioni: P. G. Guzzo, Virtuale?; P. G. Guzzo, La peste, gli storici dellarte, archeologi ed altri umanisti oggi in Italia;
V. Zimmerman, Excavating Victorians, Albany 2008 (P. G. Guzzo);
S. A. Curuni, N. Santopuoli, Pompei. Via dell'Abbondanza. Ricerche, restauri e nuove; tecnologie, Milano 2007 (G. Carbonara);
Joanne Berry, The Complete Pompeii, London 2007 (a. Pesce).
Having said that, I am looking for a copy of Fonti documentarie per la storia degli scavi di Pompei, Ercolano, e Stabia, a cura degli Archivisti Napoletani (Naples 1979), and WorldCat.org told me that the nearest copies were in Michigan and at the Getty! I know there is a copy at the American Academy in Rome because I have used it. But I NEED a copy to be in the UK (does anyone know of one?!).
Monday 30 November 2009
Friday 27 November 2009
Book: Latrinae Et Foricae: Toilets in the Roman World
Barry Hobson, Latrinae Et Foricae: Toilets in the Roman World (Duckworth, 2009)
The Romans are renowned for their aqueducts, baths and water systems, achievements equalled in the modern world only over the past few hundred years. Their toilets, both single ('latrinae') and multi-seater ('foricae') form part of the Roman sanitation system that continues to fascinate the modern visitor to ancient sites today. In this well illustrated overview, Barry Hobson describes toilets in the Roman empire from Iberia to Syria, and from North Africa to to Hadrian's Wall. Particular emphasis is given to Pompeii, where many toilets are preserved and where some evidence for change over time can be found. The discussion encompasses not only details of location, construction and decoration of toilets, but also questions of privacy, sewage, rubbish disposal, health issues, references in Latin literature, and graffiti.
Barry Hobson was a GP until he retired in 1997 following which he undertook a degree in Archaeology at the University of Bradford and then a Research Masters degree. He has spent twelve seasons working at Pompeii and has travelled extensively looking for evidence of Roman toilets.
Thursday 26 November 2009
Convegno: "Archeologia e territorio a Poggiomarino: proposte per una rinnovata tutela, valorizzazione e promozione del Patrimonio Culturale"
Il Gruppo Archeologico "Terramare 3000" con il contributo del Comune di Poggiomarino organizza il convegno: "Archeologia e territorio a Poggiomarino: proposte per una rinnovata tutela, valorizzazione e promozione del Patrimonio Culturale"
Modera la discussione per il Gruppo Archeologico "Terramare 3000" il dott. Roberto Aprea
- la dott.ssa Caterina Cicirelli, Direttrice Ufficio Scavi Zone Periferiche - Soprintendenza Archeologica di Napoli e Pompei
- la dott.ssa Linda Solino, Direttrice Gruppo Archeologico "Terramare 3000"
- il prof. Giuliano Cannata, Presidente Ente Autorità di Bacino Sarno
- l'arch. Alfonso Montesano, Commissariato emergenza fiume Sarno
- il dott. Andrea De Simone, Presidente Parco Regionale Fiume Sarno
- il sig. Carmelo Rosa, Presidente del Consiglio Comunale
Concluderà il Sindaco, dott. Vincenzo Vistola
Christmas gift ideas!
The website is called Aurea Venus. Watch out for the extremely dodgy English ...
Pompei: trentotto milioni per salvare gli scavi
Trentotto milioni di euro. E' quanto è stato speso in pochi mesi nell'area archeologica di Pompei. Il commissario straordinario Marcello Fiori, operativo dal luglio 2008, spiega che gran parte del budget messo a disposizione per l'emergenza scavi, 40 milioni in tutto, è già stato investito. Fiori precisa che «solo gli interventi di messa in sicurezza sono costati 33 milioni». Certo, 33 milioni possono sembrare una cifra enorme, ma a Pompei i lavori da fare sono moltissimi. «I primi risultati raggiunti - spiega Fiori - sono stati il recupero di mosaici, affreschi e dipinti ma anche la costruzione di coperture assolutamente necessarie». Parallelamente sono state avviate attività di valorizzazione, come la vendemmia negli scavi o il progetto Cave canem- Adotta Meleagrò, ideato per tranquillizzare i turisti. «Il problema del randagismo a Pompei è atavico - riconosce Fiori - anche se i cani sono sempre stati un elemento caratteristico degli scavi». La prima fase, già cominciata, prevede il censimento dei cani presenti nel sito, la realizzazione dell'anagrafe canina, l'applicazione di microchip, collare e medaglietta di riconoscimento, il rilascio del passaporto europeo.
A Day in Pompeii at Te Papa - Flickr Group
Have you visited Pompeii and taken photos of what you saw and experienced?
Submit your snaps to our group to see the way Pompeii has changed from 79 AD to the present day. We don't just want to see your photos – we also want to hear stories about your adventures in the ancient Roman city. Share your memories with people who have been there or would love to go either in the description of your photo or in the discussion section. While you're at it, compare your experiences with others' and see how the exhibition 'A Day in Pompeii' represents the place and people.
This is the URL: http://www.flickr.com/groups/youinpompeii.


text:
By Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. and Br. Anthony Mary M.I.C.M. (tert.)
In this series of fascinating lectures Br. Francis continues his brilliant talks on the history of the 21 Councils of the Church. The councils of Vienne, Constance, and Florence are covered in this class. Brother also discusses the Liturgy, moving this time from the Psalms of the Mass to a consideration of some of the Propers for most of the major feasts of the liturgical year. Br. Anthony Mary, a third order member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, was asked by Br. Francis to give a class on the history and influence of the Supreme Court in the United States. One of the sources used for this class was the book by Paul Fisher entitled "Behind the Lodge Door". This excellent book is an explanation of how the Masonic Lodges have affected this most important institution of our Republic. The entire history of the court is covered with particular attention paid to the latter half of the 20th Century and the influence of FDR and the modern "partnership" between the Masons and the Court.
13 Classes
File Size: 578 MB
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subset: commoncrawl


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The ESA office in Brussels wanted a reliable audio conference system for video conferences. Their requirement – No participant must be left out from the conference and the audio quality must not be compromised.
Sennheiser TeamConnect Wireless was recommended to ESA. Each satellite of the system offer best in class speech intelligibility and can cover up to 6 participants ensuring nobody is left out from the meeting. DECT pairing between the satellites makes the setup completely flexible.
Fewer cables on the conference table, cleaner sound for all video conference participants combined with user-friendly usability: The European Space Agency (ESA) chose the TeamConnect Wireless portable solution for larger video and audio conferences at its Brussels office. This Sennheiser product has put an end to ongoing microphone problems. ESA in Brussels knows of one more advantage gained by this wireless system: the satellites aren't hidden under piles of paper.
If there's one thing space technicians hate, it's clutter. This is as true on board a space station as it is on a conference table. "Cables, cables, everywhere – we just don't like cables," - Jérôme Béquignon knows what a conference table can look like when all participants open up their laptops and have to pass a wired microphone from person to person. Sheets of paper everywhere: a small microphone on a stand is soon lost under a sea of documents, sometimes accompanied by the sound of rustling paper but more often, you simply can't understand a single word. There was one particular problem which the ESA simply could not solve in its Brussels office: a single microphone is insufficient for a video/ audio conference system. If the microphone isn't positioned directly in front of the speaker, the sound quality is poor, communications are impaired. And handing the microphone around is troublesome. For Jérôme Béquignon, Senior Programme Manager in the ESA Brussels office, the situation was obvious: the conference room needed a new audio system to handle virtual meetings with many participants.
Lively exchanges in video conferences
22 member countries, 1,900 employees, a budget of 5.2 billion Euro – Europe's space agency is distributed across several locations in Europe and is also responsible for two programmes for the European Commission: Galileo and Copernicus. So the Brussels office seeks to maintain good contacts with its partner, the European Commission. The ESA has two meeting rooms in Brussels which are frequently the venue for meetings to allow exchanges between EU officials and ESA programme di rectors, between ESA HQ in Paris or ESA production sites in Italy and the Netherlands. On these occasions, up to 10 participants discuss matters in video conferences - either in English or French. Video conferences are becoming more important, points out Jérôme Béquignon, because they are an excellent substitute for expensive, time consuming business trips.
Problems with audio quality Some time ago, the ESA installed an IP-based video conference system from Polycom in the largest of its two Brussels conference rooms. While it functions well, the quality of audio transmissions from a conference table in Brussels to the outside world was often lacking - causing engineers at the other end of the conference to complain. The only way to guarantee adequate sound was to place the table microphone directly in front of the speaker. ESA manager Béquignon was impatient for a solution and asked around various Brussels service providers. AV specialist Avadis proposed the new Sennheiser TeamConnect Wireless in the version with four satellites and a desktop charging station. Béquignon reports that he was himself completely convinced and the connection of the state-ofthe-art wireless conference system to the existing Polycom system was smooth and easy.
Nowadays, when a meeting is planned in the Brussels ESA conference room the participants only take that number of satellites out of the case they need and distribute them around the table. The satellites don't need to be moved, they pick up the input signal from any position and transmit it to the base station. The "sound quality is excellent and confirmed by our engineers at the other end of the line," says Jérôme Béquignon. The loudspeaker function offered by the TeamConnect Wireless satellites is not used by ESA Brussels, instead they use new, discrete loudspeakers next to the wall-mounted screens.
Great connectivity
One of the options Mr Béquignon likes in particular is the number of connection choices the new conference system offers. The current configuration has the master unit connected to the existing system with a cable, although in theory one could also use smartphones connected via Bluetooth. As Béquignon says: "There is a broad spectrum of connectivity." Last but not least, the staff also appreciate the system, which is also due to its easy handling and the very attractive design, Béquignon says. Simply pressing the central button mutes the microphone. The blue light at its base indicates system status, the volume has a touch control – which in Mr. Béquinon's opinion is all "technology with the best possible look&feel." He is happy because his office now boasts leading edge technology for its video conferences despite a limited budget: an impression shared by ESA directors from HQ in Paris when in Brussels for meetings. Several have commented on the attractive conference system, and even the partner from the EU Commission have praised the conference system when visiting the ESA office on the Avenue de Cortenberg in Brussels – "because it works so well," says Béquignon. He similarly likes the long battery life. They last for up to eight hours. After a ESA-meeting - the satellites are simply returned to their trays for automatic recharge.
No paper hiding the microphones
Another aspect also pleases the space experts in Brussels: in the past they often had to literally search for the microphone because it was hidden under a pile of paper. Sennheiser's new satellites make that issue a thing of the past. The build height of 76 millimetres effectively prevents that. ESA manager Béquignon: the satellites are just too high and can't ever be covered by stacks of paper. The main result: less clutter on conference tables in ESA's Brussels office.
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Video Length:
Match commentary of Liverpool's visit to FBK Kaunas with Liverpoolfc.tv's Steve Hunter.
Extended match highlights of Liverpool's Champions League second round, first leg fixture versus FBK Kaunas.
Steven Gerrard makes it 3-1 from the penalty spot after he is fouled after a surging run into the penalty area.
Watch post-match interviews with Jamie Carragher and the Reds boss Rafael Benitez after the 3-1 win over FBK Kaunas.
Peter Crouch talks about his debut and the 3-1 win over FBK Kaunas in the first leg of the second round Champions League qualifier.
Giedrius Barevicius gives Kaunas a shock lead, stabbing Rimkevicius's cross past Jose Reina at the near post.
Djibril Cisse scores the equaliser, hooking the ball past Kurskis after Peter Crouch headed down from Bolo Zenden's cross.
Jamie Carragher scores his first goal in six years to put Liverpool in front, heading the ball into the goal after a darting run.


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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Normal Life
Only it isn't over and done with, of course. In every respect it's all just beginning. The worries haven't stopped – they're just taking different shapes and forms but they're still there and still as piquant. Is he pooing enough? Is he pooing too much? Is he eating enough? Is he comfortable? Is he putting on enough weight? Does he like me?
From what I've heard from friends this constant parental paranoia is all perfectly normal. And regarding the last question above he certainly seems very content to have me feed him or change his nappy. Now that's got to be a huge badge of acceptance in anybody's book.
But the other worries still persist daily though they seem quite trivial in the cold light of this blog.
I can recall my mother telling me that when you have kids you never ever stop worrying about them… even when they're grown up and are living their own lives far away from yours. You worry forever. Are they happy? Are they healthy? Are they pooing enough?
This is normal life.
And you know what? Above, beyond and behind it all… it's undeniably good.
11 comments:
- -eve- said...
Very well-written, Steve. I can understand and identify with that (especially with seeing so many sick kids in hospital; babies, especially, are very vulnerable... even a few hours of fever could be very dangerous)...
- Wednesday, October 17, 2007 6:35:00 pm
- The Sagittarian said...
Steve, your mum (as usual) is right. And the wonderful thing is that as a parent sometimes you don't even realise you're worrying, you develop an inner radar and I now know that I have eyes in the back of my head - just like my dear ol' mum had/has! I think they sneak them into you while you're in t'hospickle! Your wee man is indeed in good hands (as the actress said to the bishop!).
- Thursday, October 18, 2007 1:20:00 am
- Steve said...
Thanks for the compliment Eve!
Hi Amanda, I'm doing my best to make sure that my hands are the best they can be... ;-) - Thursday, October 18, 2007 8:34:00 am
- MOTHER OF MANY said...
As for the poo,after having a baby you will never want to eat chicken korma again!YUK!
- Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:20:00 am
- Steve said...
Ally, he absolutely filled his nappy for the first time ever last night (as opposed to little pellets) - sorry, Laura, I know poo isn't for you! - after being a little constipated for days. Karen and I have never been happier!
- Thursday, October 18, 2007 11:19:00 am
- The Poet Laura-eate said...
Poo! this blog's getting ever so slightly niffy Steve!
Forgive my ignorance of all things baby, but are they supposed to poo before they start eating solids?
Or is yours just being precocious and 'rather ahead in his development, ya'?
Laura ;-) - Thursday, October 18, 2007 2:15:00 pm
- Steve said...
Ha ha! Yes they do indeed poo before they get onto solid food... not poo as you or I would care to recognize it but poo nonetheless!
I promise I'll lay off the poo very soon... in the meantime, hold your nose! ;-) - Thursday, October 18, 2007 3:36:00 pm
- Old Cheeser said...
I think you're turning into a scat queen, Steve.
Do you have a brown handkerchief in your back trouser pocket? - Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:42:00 pm
- Steve said...
Lol! You're a dirty boy, OC... and anyway, at this stage in Tom's development the hankerchief would be yellow...!
- Thursday, October 18, 2007 5:25:00 pm
- Samuel Goh Kim Eng said...
No parent, whatever the actual age, will ever stop parenting the offspring(s).
When it's your turn to be a parent, just do your best and enjoy it if & while you can.
Samuel Goh Kim Eng
Fri. 19th Oct. 2007. - Thursday, October 18, 2007 8:18:00 pm
- Steve said...
Thanks Samuel - and I'm certainly trying to enjoy it (and succeeding so far) as I also recall my mother telling me how quickly the baby stage passes and how quickly kids grow up...
- Friday, October 19, 2007 8:27:00 am


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Pumpkin Brookies
This is JAB's last week for a while (more on that in a sec), so I wanted to go out strong with some nice fall recipes.
In case you've never had a brookie before, it's just the kind of dessert that inspired me to begin food blogging. A cookie/brownie hybrid deserves a food blog, right?
But you see, these are even better. The bottom layer is a chocolate chip-filled fudgy brownie, and the top is pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough. I'm so glad brookies are a thing, but even gladder that pumpkin brookies can come out of it!


text: 3 Fonteinen Hommage is the result of macerating hand-picked whole sour cherries and raspberries on young lambic for at least four months, in a proportion of 760 to 800 grams of raspberries and 200 to 240 grams of sour cherries per litre of lambic. This fruit lambic is then blended again with more lambic to obtain a minimum intensity of 35% fruit. Hommage is a bodied raspberry lambic beer, with an intense deep red forest fruit bouquet. This unfiltered and unpasteurised lambic is all-natural with no artificial juices, syrups, or sugars added.


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-Posted by Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Alan Bersin
This week, the United States and Canada announced the establishment of Binational Port Operations Committees at eight Canadian airports that provide a U.S. preclearance service, as part of their commitment under the Beyond the Border Action Plan for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness released by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama.
These eight bilateral committees will help facilitate legitimate cross-border trade and travel and promote collaboration on overall port management. In addition, each Binational Port Operations Committee has developed an action plan that includes specific initiatives to improve border management and efficiency.
Committees have been created at the following eight Canadian airports:
- Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver, British Columbia
- Calgary International Airport, Calgary, Alberta
- Edmonton International Airport, Edmonton, Alberta
- James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario
- MacDonald-Cartier International Airport, Ottawa, Ontario
- Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport, Montréal, Quebec
- Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Beyond the Border Action Plan, released in December 2011 by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama, lays out specific steps that both counties will take to facilitate legitimate trade and travel, while simultaneously ensuring security. The action plan focuses on four areas: addressing threats early; facilitating trade, economic growth and jobs; integrating cross border law enforcement; and strengthening critical infrastructure and cyber security.


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Choose Realistic Goals in Meditation
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami , 2002-10-15
Bodhinatha talks about the problematic attitude of getting sad when our spiritual experiences aren't as deep as we want them to be or think they should be. He reminds us of Gurudeva's mahavakyam, "Life is meant to be lived joyously." In meditation it is useful to have more than one goal--a really easy one, a hard one and a really hard one. This ensures success at something, so we feel our meditation has been worthwhile even if we didn't realize the Self that time.
Unedited Transcript:
There were some devotees last phase and something about being on the path came up. What someone experiences, everyone else does too. Part of the spiritual journey is that, it is not unique. Everyone goes through the same steps, the same stages, the same experiences. So, this one of course, we have all encountered before and I am sure you are familiar with it.
A very sincere devotee, a woman, was asking about the spiritual path, spiritual life and spiritual striving. Certainly, she was sincere in wanting to have deeper spiritual experiences which was all really, really wonderful to see. But, she also had a sad attitude. She was sad because her spiritual experiences were not deeper than they were. Here she was on the path practicing very sincerely everyday and having this concept in mind that, "All the great spiritual experiences that are there toward the end of the path that I am not having. I am not having them. So, I am sad."
So, she was creating a sad journey for herself. That is a pretty long journey from where she was to this end-of-the-path paradise, blissfulness, all-pervasiveness and so forth that she wanted to experience more of right now. So it made me think about that.
Of course, it is not Gurudeva's attitude. He says, "Life is meant to be lived joyously." He does not say that we should be sad until we experience Parasiva or until we are all-pervasive or something. No, he does not say that. He says, "Life is meant to be lived joyously." Meaning, when we are on the spiritual path, we should enjoy it. We should not parade concepts that make us unhappy because of what we are not experiencing. Why do that? That is an understanding of the spiritual path which is flawed. We want to look at it so we not only enjoy the end of the path, but we enjoy getting there. We want to have fun on this journey, enjoyable journey. Laugh, smile, enjoy ourselves. Not just hold our breath, cry and feel unsatisfied till we finally get to the end of it. That is a long time away.
One example of that is our morning meditation. You know, the monks meditate every morning. We are all trying to realize Parasiva. It is an important part of our discipline. I don't know if any monks look at it this way. We could have the attitude, "I am meditating, I am going to realize Parasiva." If we come out of the meditation and we haven't realized Parasiva, we could be sad, right? We could be frustrated. "So, I didn't realize Parasiva again, this is terrible. Another day without Parasiva. Life is barely worth living." We could create that attitude by how we look at it, without even giving much thought to it.. We frustrate ourselves and we don't enjoy the journey along the path.
I explained this to one of the monks. You can set it up so that you have more than one goal in meditation. Create some easy ones, some harder ones and some very hard ones. For example, easiest goal is sim shum bee see, feeling the spiritual energy of the spine. That is easy to do, anyone can do that. But, it is also worthwhile. Just really going into that spiritual energy, becoming centered and content and so forth is something any of the monks can do in any meditation. So, do that first. Get the satisfaction of that. Get the success of that and say, "OK, this is great. I feel wonderful and fulfilled. I am not frustrated. I am fulfilled. I experienced sim shum bee see."
Now, let us see if we can go deeper. Let us strive for the inner light. Try and go into the intense inner light that we try to go in our morning meditations. Maybe we won't get there. We will get there on some days and not on others. If the mind is a little bit disturbed, we won't see the inner light. The mind has to be calm, in order to see it. If we get there, fine. If we don't, that is fine too. "I, at least got to sim shum bee see. It was a worthwhile meditation."
Then, we try and go deeper yet, we try and experience Parasiva. Well, that might not happen that often but we try for it anyway. If it does, great. If it does not, we are still happy. We set ourselves up, so we feel fulfilled, not frustrated by the meditation we experience. Just because we didn't experience Parasiva, we are not heartbroken, crushed and sad the rest of the day. That sounds silly, you can laugh at it. But, still you can set yourself up that way if you are not careful and fail in meditation, fall short and therefore, feel frustrated and lacking. Whereas, meditation should never make you feel that way. It should always make you feel fuller, more fulfilled, more content than you were before you started, not less content.


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Monear Fatemi was on the hunt for a children's book she had loved as a kid in the 1980s. She remembered so many vivid details: the family in the book ate lima beans, the dad had a bushy mustache, the cat's name was "Dog." She could recall every detail, it seemed, except the title and author.
Fatemi, a former English teacher, says she was eager to find this particular title for her 2-year-old daughter because it had meant so much to her when she was growing up. Fatemi is half Persian, and says she rarely saw people of color represented in books or television at the time.
"The illustrator may or may not have tried to show diversity in the book, but the dad looks like my dad and the brother looks like my brother and the mom looks my mom," she says. "It's a black-and-white illustrated book, but I saw my Persian dad and brother in this book, and I never saw my family [in other books]."
Eager to see how the book had aged, noting many contemporary children's books tokenize rather than normalize diversity, Fatemi enlisted the help of her mom, who works as a research librarian. They typed search terms into Google and scoured the shelves of their local bookstore to no avail.
Then Fatemi's mom sent her the link to an Instagram page called My Old Books, which mostly shared whimsical illustrations from vintage children's books.
There were also notes from others trying to find beloved childhood books based on a smattering of hazy, fever dream-like details. Fellow book nerds were sounding off in the comments, tossing out authors' names, jumping in with details, tagging their friends – and celebrating when a match was made.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pease Porridge Press (@myoldbooks)
Fatemi wrote with her request. Within 20 minutes of the post going live, she had her answer:Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen and Trina Schart Hyman. She says her whole family was moved to tears at the discovery.
"These books and these stories get inside of us and just mean so much," Fatemi says. "They're so significant and mean the world to us, and someone else is like 'Oh yeah, that one!" And so quickly we can help someone heal wounds, make connections – so many cool things go back to memories."
In hindsight, Fatemi realized just how much that one book changed how she felt about reading in general.
"It was like, maybe I don't see myself in my neighborhood or in my school or on cable TV or anywhere that's not just showing Middle Easterners as terrorists," she says. "It wasn't, 'Here's a book about a Middle Eastern family in America.' Here's just a book, and you can see yourself in it. And that meant a lot."
Fatemi calls this an important part of her teaching philosophy – she says she thought a lot about who was in her classroom and how they may or may not see their lived experiences reflected in the curriculum – and now her parenting philosophy. So finding the book that started it all was, at least to her, no small feat.
"Social media has its benefits and drawbacks, but I just thought, 'How cool is this person who is crowdsourcing to help nerds find their dreams?'" Fatemi says.
Some of the book seekers have fond, albeit hazy, memories of stories they'd love to read to their own young kids. Others are tracking down books that their friends or family members reminisce about, often to give as a gift. Many are motivated by sentimental value, like the person looking for a copy of a book that burned in a fire at their grandparents' house.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pease Porridge Press (@myoldbooks)
The details provided in these requests range from the specific to the vague, and might include a particular quote, a set of peculiar plot details, or general recollections of the style of illustration, the cover art or the overall premise. Many people say they've been trying to track these books down for years or even decades.
The What'sThatBook series, part of My Old Books, has posted some 115 such requests since it launched in February, with a success rate of a little more than 50%.That's according to Marie-Pascale Traylor, the powerhouse behind the page.
She built a community around a shared, sentimental interest
Traylor traces her love of reading back to her own childhood. Traylor's family didn't have a television, so she and her siblings would check out stacks of library books and read all the time.
She grew up to be an artist and preschool teacher, with a particular fondness for vintage children's books – as anything pre-1990, though ideally much earlier.
During her more than two decades of teaching, Traylor amassed her own library of children's books from thrift shops, antique stores and yard sales. But she wasn't content to keep them to herself. She set up an Instagram account about five years ago to share images from her favorite vintage books, and opened up an Etsy shop around the time of her retirement several years later to sell off part of her collection.
"I felt like through sharing something that was just a strong interest I would find other people who have the same kind of interest," she explains.
Traylor's account took off – she names a few celebrities who have followed it or reposted photos, like Amy Sedaris and illustrator Mary Engelbreit – and so did her virtual community.
People would reach out to order books, send her gifts and, occasionally, ask her to track down specific titles. Traylor eventually realized others on Instagram might be able to help: She now has more than 24,000 followers.
She started sharing inquiries on her account last winter, using the hashtag "What'sThatBook." The requests – and responses – came flooding in.
Some of these interactions are particularly memorable for Traylor, especially the ones that end in success.
She points to two recent examples: Someone looking to surprise her grandfather for his 90th birthday with a book he loved as a kid (Andrew Lang's fairy series), and another poster finally finding the title of one of her favorite childhood Christmas books to read to her 5-year-old (Hilary Knight's The Twelve Days of Christmas).
Successful book-seekers want to pay their powerful experience forward
And Traylor's success stories are not hesitant to share what the site has meant to them.
Tanner Flippo, now 27, posted about a book he vaguely remembered from fourth grade – so vaguely, in fact, that he wasn't sure if he had made the story up or conjured it in a dream. But he knew it involved a girl with magic powers who learns how to fly, and he knew he had been enchanted by it at the time.
Commenters directed him to No Flying In The House by Betty Brock. Upon revisiting the book, Flippo says it helped explain his lifelong interests in fantasy worlds and personal development – and was "a small but key piece of the puzzle" in his personal journey of growth and trauma healing.
Jane Garabedian knew exactly why she was looking for her book, which featured charcoal illustrations of forest creatures making it through the cozy wintertime to emerge in the bright yellow spring. She says she read the book many times as a kid, and credits it with sparking her love of reading and wildlife.
She reached out to Traylor, who said she'd look around. "By any chance, is it the book The Happy Day"?, Traylor texted weeks later.
Garabedian says she immediately felt transported to her 4-year-old self, the age she was when she learned to sign her name in order to get her first library card.
"[Traylor] I think, changed my life in a day ... it was driving me nuts to not remember something that was important and she put her finger on it and she went out of her way to do it," Garabedian says.
Garabedian and Fatemi, among others, now hope to pay it forward by helping other people find their beloved childhood books.
Traylor reflects on the emotion and connection that accompany these discoveries.
"There's just a lot of sentimental nostalgia that goes along with this," she says. "I can really sense the emotion when they message me after they find their book... and they're so happy and so grateful and it's just really sweet."
Traylor didn't expect the crowdsourcing series to take off the way it has, but says she's grateful for it.
"I feel like so much of social media is negative these days, and people turn on each other so easily," she says. "I love how in general on my feed it seems really positive, and people are very supportive and encouraging, and they just love talking about these things with each other. So I think it's a little escape, maybe, from whatever else is going on in their lives."
Editor's note: Meta pays NPR to license NPR content.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Welcome to EquestrianNeeds.com a bespoke website which has been designed and built to meet all your buying and selling needs.
Selling? Take control of your advertising wherever you are, when it suits you. Easy, convenient online advertising is just a few clicks away.
Searching? Browse at your leisure and find everything you need for you and your horse.
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Browse the Horse & Pony Section to find horses for sale, loan, rehoming and those who have been stolen. We also have stallions at stud and an alert service for orphan foals and foster mares.
All your equestrian needs can be met by the many equine businesses and professionals in our Services and Equipment sections and don't forget to visit our Show Dates Calendar where you will find local and national events from around the UK & Ireland.
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text:
Product description
The boyshort silhouette is the perfect combination of modest coverage and cotton comfort. Elastic-free around the legs and with a supportive logo waistband, this silhouette will keep you comfortable and supported throughtout the day. This style can be paired with low-rise bottoms and is perfect for daily use.
• Boyshort
• Low-Rise
• Moderate Coverage
• Logo waistband
• Higher GSM fabric for more washes
• Ideal for everyday wear
Fabric Composition: 95% Cotton, 5% Elastane (Exclusive of trimmings)
Wash Care: Machine wash cold, Gentle cycle, Without fabric conditioner, Line dry, Cool iron if needed, Wash dark colours separately.


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Horley branch
Welcome to White & Sons Horley, centrally located on Massetts Road. Whether you are buying, selling, renting or need advice on planning, commercial, or rural property, you can trust in the value of our experience.
Visit branchExperts in Horley
Horley town offers an array of shops, restaurants and cafes, including Waitrose, Collingwood Batchellor and Costa Coffee. The railway station offers excellent service to London, Gatwick and the South coast. The M23 & M25 are nearby with surrounding areas boasting delightful countryside.
Explore area guide1817
Looking to sell?
Established in 1817 White & Sons are award winning independent estate agent with offices in Dorking, Reigate, Horley, Oxted & Leatherhead. We are a forward thinking business which uses cutting edge technology backed by 200 years of experience to assist with all your property related matters.


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Location Based Streaming
To View Streams
Open the map
and click on a maker for a user that you would like to view.
To Send Streams
and install the Android application. It will report your location as long as it is running and you will be notified if anyone wants to view a stream from your device. Works best on WiFi for the time being.


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After months of negotiations to create a grand coalition, Angela Merkel was sworn in by Parliament on Tuesday to serve a third term as chancellor.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
"Her confirmation as chancellor in a vote by lawmakers in the Bundestag on Tuesday was virtually assured after her Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, came in first place by a wide margin when Germans went to the polls in September. But the party fell just short of a majority of seats in the Bundestag, touching off weeks of negotiation with other groups to form a government.
"Merkel will preside over a 'grand coalition' uniting the conservative CDU with its archrival, the center-left Social Democrats, who finished second in the election. The two parties agreed on an agenda that should see a continuation of Merkel's tax-friendly policies tempered by some concessions to the Social Democrats, including Germany's first national minimum wage and some pension increases."
The Christian Science Monitor reports that despite the fact that Merkel will be governing along with her rivals therefore making her government more left-leaning, significant change is not expected when it comes to eurozone.
"Merkel did have to concede on some issues: Most notably, the CDU accepted a national minimum national wage, set at 8.5 euros ($11.70), which was the major policy platform of the SPD," the Monitor reports. "But in reality, almost nothing will change, including Germany's tough policies in Europe on fiscal discipline. Notably, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble will remain in the government."
Merkel was elected for a four-year term.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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By Amy Hoak, MarketWatch
CHICAGO (MarketWatch)
"Despite recent price improvements nationally, only five markets in the country are expected to see home-price gains for the remainder of 2011: Washington, New York, Orlando, Dallas and San Francisco.
That's right, Orlando, Fla., where prices have fallen 63% from their peak.
This is according to Clear Capital's home data index forecast, released Friday. The company provides real-estate valuation and risk assessment information for financial institutions.
Granted, prices are expected to be up only 0.7% through the remainder of the year in Orlando, said Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics for Clear Capital.
"This is really a drop in the bucket compared with where this market has fallen," he said. Yet it's an encouraging sign of stability for a housing market that suffered the majority of its losses in 2008 and 2009, Villacorta added.
On a national basis, home prices are expected to fall another 2.4% for the second half of the year, according to the report."
Click here to read more.