Since the year 2000, the Universities of Perugia, Venice, Trieste, Siena and the Orientale of Naples have been involved in a research project aimed at undertaking a comprehensive study of the insulae of Regio VI at Pompeii. Through the analysis of wall stratigraphy the intent is to riconstruct the building history of all the dwellings and commercial units present within the insulae. This research, which proposes to collect all the information with a view to complete publication of the insulae, has been integrated with a series of excavations, whose objective was to shed light on the periods and types of occupation in this part of the city. What has so far emerged has allowed the dating of the first occupation of the area to the VI century B.C. and lead to the discovery of a series of houses dating to the III century B.C., buried beneath a thick, artificial fill during the II century B.C. Some of the older domus, of different construction types, have very well preserved structures, with surviving decoration that calls for further study and evaluation. Finally, the integration of the excavation data with the documentation provided by the analysis of the vertical stratigraphy has indicated a date between the mid to last quarter of the II century B.C. as the period in which the process of urbanization in the Regio VI ended. From this time its aspect remained largely unchanged until the time of the eruption in 79A.D. (Paola Barconi, Filippo Coarelli, Fabrizio Pesando, Annapaola Zaccaria Ruggiu)

During 2005 excavations continued in Regio VI on the 3rd century B.C. houses uncovered during previous campaigns (Casa del Granduca Michele VI.5.5; Casa del Centauro VI. 9.3-5) and the rear of the domus VI. 2.17 and VI. 2.18. A new area was opened in insula VI, 14 along the side facing onto Vicolo dei Vetti. Excavations were also extended in the N-W corner of insula IX,2, at the point of origin of the Viu Mefiu mentioned in an Oscan inscription. Trenches dug in insula IX,7 investigated the eastern most stretch of this road during the 2004 excavation campaign. This research forms part of the project Pompeii’s First Centuries - I Primi Secoli di Pompei, financed by the Ministry of Education within a scheme of research projects of national interest – Progetti di Ricerca di interesse Nazionale (PRIN) for the period 2004-2006. (Fabrizio Pesando)

In 2005 and 2006 the University of Perugia continued its excavations in the Regio VI Insula 2 as part of the inter-university project “The First Centuries of Pompeii”. The excavations concentrated on several rooms of the domus VI 2, 14 and VI2, 16-21, where the levels reached provide evidence of the layout of buildings of the 3rd and mid 2nd centuries B.C., and on the House of Sallustius (VI 2, 2-4) in collaboration with Prof. A. Laidlaw. The chronology of the building of the domus, of late Samnite date, confirms that occupation of the lots in insula 2 was a gradual process, some lots being left vacant and was only completed during the course of the 2nd century B.C. Two trenches dug along Via della Fullonica (between insulae 5 and 7 of Regio VI), provided evidence for the street’s earliest phases which date to the mid 3rd century B.C. and its relationship with the original dwellings. A new area of interest is the Regio VII insula 15, where the houses investigated (VII 15, 1-2; VII 15, 3; VII 15, 6; VII 15, 8) provided the data for the development of a diachronic model of the occupation of the entire town. Trenches put in by the taberna VII 7, 12 near the House of Romulus and Remus and along the Via dei Soprastanti, in correspondence with the pavement of domus VII 16, 12-14 provided important information regarding the earliest city walls. Finally, excavations on the pavement in front of domus IX 8,8 and IX 9 (e), in correspondence with the niches on the façade, provided documentation regarding aspects of private religiosity in the context of the layout of the houses. The project is financed by the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research as part of the programme “Research Projects of National Interest” (PRIN) for the periods 2004-2006 and 2006-2008. (Filippo Coarelli)