Name
Megan Gorman

Season Team

  • AIAC_1983 - Regio VII, insula VI and Villa delle Colonne a mosaico - 2007
    During its first full field season in 2007, the Via Consolare Project carried out extensive geophysical research within both _Insula_ VII 6 and the area of the Villa delle Colonne a mosaico between the 21st of June and 29th of July 2007, with the permission of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Napoli e Pompei and with the kind support of Professore Guzzo and dottore D’Ambrosio. These analyses were carried out using two different geophysical techniques. The first method involved readings taken along eight ‘pseudo-sections’ via electric-resistive tomography. Each of these provided a view through the subsurface, allowing for the identification of buried structures, voids, floors, and surviving stratigraphy, to a depth of up to 2.5 metres. The second employed a magnetometer to examine all open areas for metal objects, areas of burning, and/or other geophysical anomalies in the subsurface deposits. In addition, this method would have also identified the location of any unexploded bombs (fortunately none were observed). These analyses were performed in order to answer specific questions which evolved from our analysis of the standing remains and to test important hypotheses related to our research on the early Via Consolare and the development of Pompeii. In addition to geophysical investigations, roughly 70% of the standing structures in the area of VII 6 were examined, including detailed study of visible construction events and mortar differences. Sequencing was augmented by initial photo documentation. In combination with 3D topographic survey of the area, this has allowed for initial recording and study of standing stratigraphy.
  • AIAC_1983 - Regio VII, insula VI and Villa delle Colonne a mosaico - 2008
    Il progetto “Via Consolare” esamina lo sviluppo urbano e la crescita di Pompei attraverso un’attiva ricerca sul campo che include scavo archeologico, ricognizione topografica 3-D, analisi delle tecniche edilizie, archiviazione di fotografia rettificata e indagini geofisiche. Con il progetto si tenta di spiegare il processo di urbanizzazione che ha portato alla composizione e all’organizzazione della parte nord-occidentale della città dal momento della sua originale fondazione fino alla distruzione del 79 d.C. A questo fine la ricerca si concentra su due aree separate della città antica: l’Insula VII 6 e la Villa delle Colonne a mosaico insieme alla lunga fila di taberne che si sviluppano lungo il suo lato occidentale. L’esame congiunto di queste aree permette di raggiungere conclusioni non solo circa la ricca e varia storia dell’uso e riuso che ogni area conserva, ma anche circa le priorità di cambiamento nel paesaggio urbano dell’antica città nel suo insieme. Data la loro differente prossimità al foro e alle mura della città, l’Insula VII 6 e la Villa delle Colonne a mosaico offrono informazioni sui rinvenimenti urbani e suburbani – due contesti pompeiani che ci si potrebbe aspettare essere stati molto diversi tra loro in termini di sviluppo storico e uso domestico degli spazi. Comunque lo studio delle strutture emergenti in entrambe le aree rivelano una rimarchevole somiglianza di composizione specialmente durante gli anni finali di Pompei, consistenti in strutture domestiche, piccole iniziative imprenditoriali, attività industriali, fondazioni sacre, spazi regolamentati dallo stato e aree che testimoniano un grande traffico pedonale e su ruote. Stabilire se queste somiglianze esistevano nella storia di Pompei o se rappresentino uno sviluppo relativamente recente riveste una grande importanza nell’interpretazione della distinzione tra la città romana e le zone suburbane. Dovrà essere valutato anche il potenziale ruolo della Via Consolare nel facilitare o creare questa situazione. Gli scavi designati a chiarire tali importanti questioni iniziati nel 2008 sul lato meridionale dell’Insula VII 6 tra il passaggio 26 e 27 hanno rivelato fondazioni e cronologie della facciata in tufo di Nocera della taverna che fronteggia quest’area. Inoltre si è aggiunta la pulizia preliminare della domus VII 6, 30. Per il futuro si stanno pianificando ulteriori scavi e analisi al fine di rivelare il ruolo di queste aree e delle loro specifiche relazioni con la Via Consolare nella storia della pianificazione della città.
  • AIAC_1983 - Regio VII, insula VI and Villa delle Colonne a mosaico - 2009
    In 2009 the Via Consolare Project continued to uncover a great deal of important information on the southern side of _Insula_ VII 6 and the development and excavation history of the Villa delle Colonne a mosaico. Between the 24th of June and the 4th of August 2009, with the permission of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Napoli e Pompei and with the ongoing support of Professore Guzzo and dottore D’Ambrosio, the members of the Via Consolare Project expanded the test trench from 2008 to produce more details on the final occupation phases of the shop and _tabernae_ at _Insula_ VII 6, 26-27. This produced further information on the precise condition of these shops at the time of the eruption and revealed evidence of an apparently comprehensive programme of restoration and refurbishment that seems to have been in progress during the last days of the city’s life. Excavation revealed a system of channels and holes conceivably intended to provide an extensive new drainage system, which were interrupted by the AD 79 eruption itself. The resolution of the data was so precise that it is possible to restore not only the disposition of the individual diggers, but also the locations of their soil heaps. This provides an important window onto not only the condition of this particular part of the city at that moment, but also provides further evidence on the types of building activities which were underway during the seventeen years between the earthquake of AD 62 and the eruption. Especially significant is that the large-scale nature of these changes not only would have influenced the potential use of the Vico dei Soprastanti but might easily be characterised as ‘municipal’ in scale. Furthermore, this provides new information on the manner in which Roman/Pompeian builders conceptualised and executed individual work projects. These results therefore tie directly into our expressed research goals and reveal much of the nature of urban development along the course of the Via Consolare. At the moment, the southern side of _Insula_ VII 6 has yet to produce comparable traces of especially early chronology such as revealed by Dott. Ribera, in _Insula_ VII 4, so further excavation in this area will be necessary in the future to explain this absence. Our excavations in the Villa delle Colonne a mosaico revealed important and poorly published information on the precise disposition of early ‘Samnite-Oscan’ graves uncovered in the pre-war campaigns of A. Maiuri in the _viridarium_ and _sacellum_ of the Villa. Though no ancient material was still extent in the majority of these areas, the information we uncovered is nevertheless extremely valuable both to the study of early burial practices but also in regards to the pre-existing alignments in the area, especially as they related to the original construction of the Villa. The second trench excavated in the Villa delle Colonne a mosaico was even more productive. Here, the area of Maiuri’s previous excavations were quickly identified and removed, revealing a number of primary earthen deposits relating to the final uses of the Villa and its spatial disposition. Such preservation is especially remarkable given the number of years during which the Villa has been exposed since its original excavation and the extent of subsequent plant growth. During the 2009 season the Via Consolare Project also continued to refine our recording and documentation methodology so as to be able to integrate fully all types of archaeological data into a 3-D spatial database. Primary topographic survey was completed in Insula VII 6 including important underground portions of the cisterns of the Terme del Foro and its access corridors and also continued in the Villa delle Colonne a mosaico including the _viridarium_ and _sacellum_. In both areas, wall sequence analysis continued as in previous years and several groups of walls that were studied in 2007 and 2008 were brought together into broad, overall phasing sequences, providing a guideline for future cleaning and stratigraphic excavation. These intensive studies were followed by complete photo documentation via stitched-rectified photography – a method that was presented earlier this year at an important international conference on computer applications in archaeology (CAA 2009) (cf. Anderson, M. 2010). Overall, investigations conducted by the Via Consolare Project have provided significant data to the understanding of the sequence and history of the development of the city of Pompeii as well as the social, environmental, and ecological framework through which this development took place. The results of our 2009 field season emphasize especially the importance of continued archaeological research in _Insula_ VII 6 and the area of the Villa delle Colonne a mosaico, and the value of the data they yet preserve.
  • AIAC_1983 - Regio VII, insula VI and Villa delle Colonne a mosaico - 2010
    The 2010 field season of the Via Consolare Project was dedicated to the preparation and finalisation the results of the previous two seasons of excavation in preparation for publication. To this end, the materials recovered during the summers of 2008 and 2009 were examined, recorded, and analysed. Between the 16th of June and the 4th of August 2010, with the kind permission the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei, and with the kind support of Professoressa. Salvatore, Professore Proietti and dottore Varone, the members of the Via Consolare Project continued our ongoing research in the areas of _Insula_ VII 6, the area of the Villa delle Colonne a mosaico, and the route of the Via Consolare. Specialists in pottery, numismatics, animal bone, charcoal, and ecofacts examined the materials that our excavations of the last two seasons had produced. As a result of these efforts, the majority of all finds have now been studied. All soil samples floated in previous years have now been sorted thoroughly and accessioned. In addition, all animal bone recovered has been washed and preliminary sorting of taxa has begun. The precise of identification of charcoal remains has commenced. All pottery recovered has now been processed for the provision of spot dates, which will be refined and finalised during the following months. Records of all coins recovered have been made and the stratigraphic sequence discernable in the standing remains has been finalised pending further excavation. In short, all backlog of materials or post-processing has been completed. The Via Consolare Project is committed to making our results available to the community of Pompeian scholars and the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei with as little delay as possible between excavation and publication. For this to be possible, it is vital that the processes of finds analysis and publication go hand in hand with on-going excavation. The successful completion of our target goals for finds analysis and post-processing in 2010 means that our publications are well on track to maintaining this commitment.
  • AIAC_1983 - Regio VII, insula VI and Villa delle Colonne a mosaico - 2011
    In 2011, the Via Consolare Project continued excavation in the southern side of _Insula_ VII 6, 26 and VII 6, 27 to continue to clarify the nature of the ancient activities identified in previous field seasons and to finalise the sub-surface investigations initiated in 2008. The area of the eastern half of Archaeological Area 001, measuring roughly four by five metres, was reopened and backfill from the 2009 field season was removed. Stratigraphic excavation was then undertaken to the level of natural soils in the majority of this area, bringing subsurface examination in AA001 to a close. As a result, it is now possible to present a complete stratigraphic sequence for the southern rooms of properties 26 and 27, and to connect the associated chronology to the relative development of much of _Insula_ VII 6. A long history of urban transformation might be expected in _Insula_ VII 6 given the proximity of this area to the Forum, the so-called ‘altstadt’, and the Terme del Foro. Indeed, excavations have confirmed a complicated sequence of development, long-term use, and re-use in the south-eastern corner of the block, illustrating the transformation of the area from elite domestic space of the mid-2nd c. BC into a group of purpose-built commercial structures at the beginning of the 1st c. BC and finally into a construction zone during the final years prior to the eruption of Vesuvius. It is also clear that the evolving utilisation of these areas frequently involved the widespread removal of soils and floors, presenting a highly-interwoven archaeological record preserved completely only in the combination of data from both soil deposits and architectural remains. The documentation of the complete chronological sequence in AA001 has also yielded information in support of the insula-wide phasing carried out through analysis of the standing architecture. In 2011, the construction phases identified and studied in the walls of the _insula_ were coordinated with the subsurface evidence and a working geographical information system (GIS) database was created serving to coordinate all data produced by the project. The use of structure-from-motion 3D point capture using consumer grade digital cameras has revolutionized all aspects of the project’s research methodology and has permitted the creation of rich, highly-detailed, three-dimensional surface models of standing remains and sub-surface deposits. During the final weeks of the 2011 field season, preliminary investigations were undertaken in a 4 by 5 metre area at the north-west corner of the _Casa di Secundus Tyrannus Fortunatus_ (VII 6, 28), situated against one of the earliest walls of the _insula_ built in _opus africanum_ (type A). Removal of modern build-up was undertaken in order to establish the degree of preservation of the AD 79 surface, to examine the relationship of the walls below the levels with the greatest amount of modern debris, and to compare this information against geophysical research undertaken in 2007. The clean uncovered the continuation of a wall that was obliterated in the allied bombing in 1943, but produced few traces of intact flooring. Further excavation in the future will serve to clarify the chronology and development of this area.
  • AIAC_1983 - Regio VII, insula VI and Villa delle Colonne a mosaico - 2012
    The Via Consolare Project focused its 2012 research on sub-surface excavation in the centre of Insula VII 6. Further analysis of standing structures, including topographic survey of the northern side of the Terme del Foro, was also undertaken, while Structure from Motion (SfM) based 3D surface capture was employed to produce a digital model of all excavated deposits and trench features. A trench measuring 11m by 5m (AA006) was opened in the north-western corner of the peristyle of the Casa di Secundus Tyrannus Fortunatus (VII 6, 28.19.20) where this property adjoined the Casa di Pamphilus Felix (VII 6, 38). This area is now nearly devoid of standing remains with the exception of two short lengths of wall, one of which is distinguished by traces of construction in opus africanum (type A). Stratigraphic excavation proceeded to the level of natural soils in all areas available for excavation, producing 90 stratigraphic units (SUs) and completing investigations in AA006. These investigations have revealed much regarding the development of the central area of Insula VII 6, especially concerning the interactions of three properties in the area: the Casa di Secundus Tyrannus Fortunatus, the Casa di Cipius Pamphilus Felix, and the Casa della Diana, from its earliest identifiable human activities to the years immediately prior to the 79 AD eruption. The earliest traces of activity help to confirm the supposed antiquity of the Casa di Cipius Pamphilus Felix and testify to an early presence in the area, possibly related to other ‘pappamonte’ phase features in the city. It is possible that these predate the final stage of interplinian eruptions, which were also identified at depth in AA006. At the moment, precise dating of the opus africanum (type A) wall has also proven elusive, but excavation in 2012 clearly proved that this earlier phase in the Casa di Cipius Pamphilus Felix was once much more extensive than had previously been thought, and further exploration may yet provide a solid date for its earliest surviving construction phase. The most important discoveries of the 2012 field season were a suite of rooms underlying the later peristyle of the Casa di Secundus Tyrannus Fortunatus that, prior to the early 1st c. AD, had belonged to the Casa di Cipius Pamphilus Felix, probably when it was also joined with the Casa della Diana. Preserved pavements and two phases of earlier wall plasters documented not only the initial addition of the rooms to the earlier property in the early 1st c. BC, but also subsequent modifications in the time of Augustus. The annexation of property from one house to another, likely early in the reign of Tiberius and contemporary with the separation of the Casa di Cipius Pamphilus Felix and the Casa della Diana, documents a shift in financial primacy between the house owners in the Insula. This interconnects neatly with the sequence of development in the block and may represent the tangible benefits of engagement in business and commerce. Excavation also provided considerable data on changes that occurred throughout the 1st c. AD in the Casa di Secundus Tyrannus Fortunatus, possibly related to earthquake repairs or renovations in the house’s final years. Overall, the 2012 field season has provided an important and deeply-revealing glimpse into the development of Insula VII 6 and its building history. In turn, these changes inform observations that may be made about Pompeian society, economy, and social organisation from the 3rd c. BC until the 1st c. AD.

Publication Authors