For the first time, the stone paving in the Forum of Pompeii has been documented by photogrammetry with the addition of measurements taken by hand. Despite the robbing that took place after the eruption of 79A.D., traces of many unknown monuments, fountains, and bases of equestrian statues, reused after the earthquake of 62A.D., came to light. There is also evidence of earthquake damage. These observations have provided new and preciser dating for the triumphal arches. Cleaning of the south portico has provided new dates for the history of architectural development in this area at the end of the 2nd century B.C.

During excavation campaigns in February/March 2007-2009, we were able to open several trenches in the southern and south-eastern colonnades of the forum. While the excavated areas had frequently been disturbed through earlier, undocumented trenches (e.g. by A. Maiuri) or several phases of modern electrical cables, our excavations nonetheless produced several new insights with regard to the planning, development and overall spatial conception of the southern part of the forum. There can be no doubt, for example, that the façade of the basilica (the so-called chalcidicum), as well as the old southern delineating wall of the forum itself, were both constructed towards the end of the 2nd century BC. Further south ran an earlier cobbled street, following the extension of the vico di Championnet. The area of the later 'Civic Buildings', also described as curiae, was taken up by private houses. Towards the end of the 1st century BC the southern wall of the forum was dismantled and replaced by brick columns, thereby creating the double colonnade that is still visible today. The cobbled road and the earlier domus appear to have been abandoned at the same point in time. The area they occupied was now used to construct the predecessor structures of the still standing 'civic buildings'. This meant that the public space of the forum was extended significantly towards the south. We were able to identify traces of several structural changes and repairs that appear to date to the period after the AD 62 earthquake. At the time of the city's destruction in AD 79, a deep ditch ran along the tufa colonnade. This was not covered, as we discovered it filled with lapilli from the volcanic eruption. It appears probable that this ditch was excavated to hold a new water conduit or similar. The area outside the so-called comitium, on the other hand, followed a very different line of development. As outside the Eumachia Building further north, a series of tabernae lay in front of this structure. These were abandoned when the first colonnade was built in this area. The finds from our excavations will, for the first time, produce secure stratigraphic dates for the different phases of development outlined above. As excavations are ongoing, this will enable us to produce the first overview of the spatial development of the southern part of the forum that is based on concrete archaeological data. This, in turn, will form an ideal basis for a correlation of an architectural and a functional history of this part of the forum of Pompeii.

In the last excavation campaign February/March 2010, we concentrated on the history of the three‚ civic buildings’ in the south of the forum. As in the last years, we opened partly old, bad documented trenches (Maiuri 1940) and partly new ones. In the apsis of the west-building we found one 5th.c. wall, similar to the constructions in the _Chalcidicum_ of the Basilica, published by Maiuri. Behind the apsis the predecessor became visible (same size and plan) and the older private building on that spot, namely with two cisterns. In the East building an earlier private house was better documented, probably parts of his garden. The inner walls of this building where precisely documented and gave many hints on the structure of the lost marble revetment. The apsis of the building seems not belong to its first phase, differently to Hans Lauter’s opinion. In front of the so-called _Comitium_ we found further _tabernae_, similar to those more to the south and in the front of the building of Eumachia. A very well conserved cistern proved their extension to the inner row of tufa-columns. In 2011 a final campaign will concentrate on finds and pottery and last descriptions of the buildings and their development.