Pompeii + Herculaneum: Evidence From Technology

Dr Stephen Clarke

- How technology works: irrelevant

- M. Rispoli + S. Siano (2020), Archeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum,
and Torre Annuziato, 2020 State or Conservation Report
- Georadar
- Box, dragged on ground, tells you what’s underneath
- Old technology, new methods of using it
- Two Types
- New technologies used to provide new evidence or perspectives
- Old technologies used to provide new evidence or perspectives

Case Study 1: Diet

- Seafood, Bread (not wheat - barley or spelt), Olive oil, wine, Game meat
(rabbit, quail)
- Soncin et al (2021) ‘High-resolution dietary reconstruction of victims of the
79 CE Vesuvius eruption at Herculaneum by compound specific isotope
analysis’, science advances (2021:7)
- Study of bone collagen from 17 individuals at herculaneum
- Quantify and examine diets + variability
- Three food groups - grain, meat, seafood
- Gender-based differences across sample
- Most from cereals (49 +/- 10%), animal product (40 +/- 10%), seafood
(10 +/- 10%)
- Males obtained 1.6 times more protein from seafood
- Males obtained significantly more protein from cereals, women more
protein from game meat and locally-produced plants
- Implications
- Different access for each gender
- Confirmation of dietary habits of Herculaneum fom previous
studies
- Clear gender roles - food as cultural marker
- C. Rowan, ‘Bioarchealogical preservation and non-elite diet in the Bay of
Naples’, Environmnetal Archeology 22:3, pp. 318-336
- 194 varieties of remains found in Cardo V sewer
- 94 plant rewmains (olives, grapes)
- 53 shellfish (clams, mussles, limpets)
- 45 fish (sea-bream, pandora)
- 2 birds
- Found as isolated samples in foecal matter
- More expensive food types found in southern section of sewer (south
of building and upstairs - wealthier)
 - Expensive items: black pepper, sea bass
- “Overall diversity of was still unexpectedly high for those living in a
densley populated urban apartment block”
- Martyn et al 2017, ‘capturing roman dietary variabilty in catastrophic death
assemblage at Herculaneum,’ journal of archeological science reports, 19
pp. 1023-29
- 30% of diet composed of seafood
- Older male diets comprised significantly larger amounts of seafood
- Male slaves (over 30) working on fishing boats
- Evidence from technology
- Three types of food eaten at herculaneum
- Seafood was eaten more by men over the age of 30
- Seafood was more expensive - status
- Women ate more terrestrial meat and plant-based produce

Case study 2: The comitium

- M. Flecker - J. Lipps - M. Broisch, Geopysikalische Untersuchungen im sog.
Comitium am forum von pompeii, Koiner und Bonner Archaeologica 5,
2015, 153-165
- Geophysical surveying
- Open-air colonnaded building
- History
- Decoration
- Bricking-up of space between pillars not long before eruption
- No consensus on purpose
- Scan Results:
- Was built over tabernae - shops (in Augustan period, pottery
and coins)
- Use of technology to change narrative of site

Case study 3: Potential

- Not fully developed - early stage of new technology
- Allows us to inderstand why houses were decorated as they were
- Consideration of space and its utilisation
- Differences in what is seen and why
Ancient History Exam Overview and Strategies

James Rooney
1. Know the content
2. Know the exam
3.

- Know the paper

- Use the reading time to read relevant questions from each section
- Don’t be distracted by topics you have not studied
- Read all qustions in the paper
- Answer paper in any order
- All sections are of equal value - equal time

Extended Responses
- Sustained judgement
- Requires an opinion supported by ancient + modern sources
HSC marking process
- All scripts are now marked online
- Marked against marking guidelines
- Write within the border, won’t show up on scanner
- All questions worth 10 marks or more are marked twice by different
markers
- Marks awarded for:
- Knowledge
- Skill in interpreting and answering the question
- Appropriate use of sources
- Marks are not deducted
- Spelling and grammatical errors are not penalised

SECTION 4
- Extended response (a or b question)
- A source may be included
- Shows a clear understanding of the requirements of the question
- Clear answer to the question, developed in more detail in the rest of
response
- Develop key issues for analysis in coherent and logical sequence (most
important points first, in paragraphs)
- Key terms
- Account - state reasons for
- Analyse - relate implications
- Assess - make a judgement
- Evaluate - make a judgement based on criteria
- Explain - relate cause and effect
- Each paragraph should be linked to an aspect of the question
 - Revist introduction before writing conclusion, clear statements about the
argument or issues raised in introduction
- Use a range of sources (ancient, modern, archaeolgical)

Planning your response

- Jot down key points
- Interpret and respond to question (key directive: eg. assess, explain, etc)
- List key arguments
- Use evidence

Marking criteria
- Demonstrate historical knowledge and understanding relevant to the
question
- Use revelant sources and interpretation to support response
- Communicate ideas and information using historical terms and concepts
- Sustained, logical, cohesive

Markers feedback
- Good responses
- Judgement, various contributions, other contributing factors
- Range of reasons, cause and effect link
- Areas of improvement
- Judgement relevant to question rather than narrative of events

SECTION 3, Personality study

- Survey - historical context
- Focus of study
- Background, rise to prominence
- Key features and development
- Evaluation
- One particular source
- Evaluate

SECTION 2 Ancient Societies

- Survey
- Focus of study
- Social structure and political organisation
- Economy
- 3 or 4 part question, one part worth 10 to 15 marks
- Identify specific historical terms and or concepts
- Technology: art, architecture
- Roles of army in society, protection, ideology and alliances

Revision Guide
- Tick off the syllabus
 - Revise notes, fill gaps
- Summarise historian’s views
- Archaeolgical evidence
- Look at apst papers
- Practice essayss
- Prepare for trials
- Learn form trials, refine skills

SECTION 1 Cities of Vesuvius

- No multiple choice questions
- Each section, worth 25 marks
- Primary and secondary sources may be included
- Evidence, perspective, reliability
- Survey, focus of study
- Use of sources
- Qusetions form either area, 10-15 mark for focus
- May be drawn from everyday life, religion,
- Excavation, conservation - discuss debates
- Tourism vs conservation
- Specific archaeologists, contribution not just what they did
- Reasoned judgements, value and limitations
- Integrate evidence from provided sources and other sources
Xerxes

Lawless
- Evaluation of a source
- Herodotus
- Persepolis
- Aeschylus
- Aeschylus
- Written for athenian audience
- Xexes -defeated and humilitaed king “young, rash and foolish”
- Written as a drama for victorious Greeks
- Herodotus Book VII:187
- More worthy than xerxes to weild power quote
- Persepolis
- Darius and Xerxes look identical - image of a Persian king
- Ahura Mazda also identical
- Olmstead evidence, building of house in Babylon
Revolt 486-484
- Increased taxation
- Failure in marathon
Persian/Greek Wars
- Extensive and thorough preparation
- Huge recruitement
- Canal through Mt Athos
- Roads/bridges, 2 boat bridges hellespont
- Supply depots - thrace and macedonia
- Greek states and cities supporting Persia
- Persian victory at Thermopylae
- Punish athens
- Continued to expland the empire after loss of wars
Persepolis
- Peaceful reliefs
- Tribute bearers wera clothing of origin
Assessing Xerxes
- Most greek sources hostile
- No persian historical tradition
- Ruled for 15 years, persian empire lasts another 150
- Persepolis is p good
- Persian gold influenced greek affairs
- Extended into thrace and macedonia and conquered the saka peoples
adding territory to the east
- Murdered in 465
- Balance
Pompeii + Herculaneum: Everyday Life

Andrew Gallagher
- Archeologists convey particular images
- Building of eumachia, Mauri, concrete
- Removal of artefacts - statue of Eumachia - understanding of site for
visitors, conserving artwork
- Statue of Eumachia
- ‘To Eumachia, daughter of Lucius, public priestess, the fullers (set
this up)’
- Eumachia patron/supporter of guild, financial support?
- Minimal evidence of clothing, examples from art (statues)
- ‘Eumachia, daughter of Lucius, public priestess, in her own name
and that of her son, Marcus Numistrius Fronto, built at her own
expense the chalcidicum, crypt and portico in honour of Augustan
concord and piety and also dedicated them’
- Claiming resposibilty, influence
- Role of women indirect influence in politics
- Tomb just outside the gate, prize location
- Temple of Vespasian, genius of Augustus
- Evidence of religion: State vs private
- Example of state/public religion, imperial cult
- ‘Mamia, daughter of Publius, public priestess, [built this] to the
genius [of augustus] on her own land and at her own expense’
- Commemorating the construction of the building for worship
of the imperial cult
- Tomb outside Herculanean gate
- Mensa Ponderaria
- Weight/scale, sized holes, standardisation of measures throughout
Italy
- ‘Aulus Clodius Flaccus, son of Aulus, and Numerius Arcaeus
Arellianus Caledus, son of Numerius, duumvirs with judcial power,
saw to the standardisation of the measures in accordance with a
decree of the town councillors’
- Recognise the formula, interpret them without memorising
them
- Recording great deeds to benefit own and
descendents’ political positions
- Enacting descisions
- Temple of Isis
- Refernces to Isis and other egyptian dieties in and around temple
- ‘Numerius Popidius Celinus, son of Numerius, with his own money,
rebuilt the Temple of Isis from its foundation after it had been
thrown down by an earthquake. In recognition of his generosity the
 councillors chose him as a member of their body without cost, even
though six years old.’
- Cult of isis was hugely popular within the town
- Likely father was a freedman, indirect influence (son has
citizenship rights that father does not have, political leg-up)
- House of Julia Felix
- Larger estste
- Includes
- Garden w/ canal water feature
- Triclinium, nile scene art, potential water feature
- Evidence of rental properties - buisnesses (shops w/ upper
rooms and apartments)
- Evidence of private baths ‘respecatble people’
- House of the wooden partition
- Wooden partion survived (carbonised form) Due to location
(Herculaneum)
- Villa of Mysteries
- ‘Luxurious’ villa w/ working farm attatched
- Triclinium - frescoes representing a female initiation into the
dionysus cult
- Evidence of wine prodcution, key industry in the reigon

- Ampitheatre + Covered Odeon, evidence of political interests in building

and giving to the town
-