Call for Papers: Symposium Campanum 2017

Symposium Campanum 2017 Call for Papers

Recent Work in Vesuvian Lands:

New Projects, Practices, and Approaches

October 5-8, 2017

Director: Steven L. Tuck, Miami University

The Vergilian Society invites proposals for papers for the 2017 Symposium Campanum at the Villa Vergiliana in Cuma, Italy.

This symposium is an opportunity for scholars to present papers on recent scholarship on Pompeii and Vesuvian lands. Our notion for the symposium is informed by three major premises, which we expect to be the major themes for the three days for the conference:

1.     The uniqueness of the evidence that Pompeii provides about the ancient world. In addition to addressing this at Pompeii itself we hope some papers will extrapolate outward from that evidence to explore what the Pompeian evidence reveals about the larger ancient, especially Roman, world with a conscious awareness of the extrapolation that takes place.

2.     An emphasis on contextualizing evidence both within Pompeii and without rather than presenting material in a vacuum or in isolation. We encourage scholars to submit proposals for synthetic papers that explore more than one type of evidence or explore under-considered implications for Vesuvian material.

3.     We particularly wish to encourage abstracts from under-covered areas that can provide a holistic view of Vesuvian material: comparatively more on areas outside Pompeii such as extramural villas, industrial complexes, and rural life.

Papers will be 20 minutes long with ample time for discussion. Ideally we would like to circulate drafts prior to the symposium to facilitate dialogue. The symposium will include three days of papers, discussion, and visits to Vesuvian sites.

Interested scholars should send inquiries or an abstract of no more than 300 words to tucksl@miamioh.edu by December 1, 2016.

Herculaneum Field Trip 2016 for AFoH and UK Friends

The Sixth Herculaneum Congress is now scheduled for 15-17 September 2016.
The biennial visit to Herculaneum is now open for booking through the UK website.

Since 2006 each Congress in the past has involved not merely stimulating visits to Herculaneum and Pompeii but also sites that are not normally accessible to the public. This year's site visits will include an insider's visit to the Biblioteca Nazionale (Officina dei Papiri Ercolanesi) and the Royal Palace at Portici, the 18th-century reggia where artifacts from ancient Herculaneum and the Villa dei Papiri were initially shown to visitors from all over Europe. An extra day of excursions will take attendees on an optional tour to sites at the west end of the Bay of Naples, Posillip, Baiae, etc. All site visits with the group include dedicated transportation and expert guidance offered by scholars and truly learned guides.

A canvas of UK Friends of Herculaneum Society's members indicated that a majority wanted a September date this time round. Mid-September is usually a terrific time to visit Campania, a little cooler but still summery. Enrollment in the Congress is a perk of membership in the AFoH, and the organizers strive to fill three days with education, spectacular sites, and delicious meals.




See the UK Friends' site (www.herculaneum.ox.ac.uk/?q=Herculaneum Congress) for booking form and more information about accommodation and travel.

Hopefully your schedule allows you to participate in this exciting event!

—
RMacfarlane

AFoH Scholarships Awarded

Two scholarships, totalling $4,000, have been awarded by the American Friends of Herculaneum board to assist recipients pursue study of ancient Herculaneum during summer programs in 2016.

 Ambra Spinelli, a doctoral student at the University of Southern California, intends to continue her survey of closed ancient houses at Pompeii and Herculaneum where she studies the multiple uses of domestic tablina. Ms Spinelli's dissertation project "The Tablinum: a space and stage for private and public rituals in the houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum" will benefit from this year's AFoH grant.

   Grace Gibson, an undergraduate at Sewanee: The University of the South, will use her AFoH grant to participate in the Herculaneum Graffiti Project. The HGP is an international and interdisciplinary project based in Ercolano that measures, documents, photographs, and digitizes in situ textual wall inscriptions created by the ancient inhabitants of Herculaneum.

We look forward to updates at the end of the season.

Funds for the scholarships are drawn from membership dues and other contributions. The board of the American Friends of Herculaneum is pleased to allocate funding for these two  students to further our understanding of ancient Herculaneum.

 — RTM for the Board

AFoH Board Members Urge Italian Government to Excavate the Villa

A letter to the editor of The Times (London) urges Italian authorities to pursue further excavation at Herculaneum's Villa of the Papyri. "The boundaries of the excavation remain what they were in 1998. The excavation must be finished." The letter was signed by several members of the American and British Friends of Herculaneum and published in The Times on 30 March 2016 (p. 26).

The image below shows the letter in the left column and an accompanying story in the British paper The Daily Mail which adds brief statements from British board members Bob Fowler and Dirk Obbink with a statement by AFoH trustee Richard Janko.

 We encourage feedback. Respond to this blogpost below.

Roger Macfarlane
for the board

AFoH Scholarship competition for undergrads and grad students

American Friends of Herculaneum Society

Scholarship Opportunity

Deadline: April 1, 2016.

Amount: $1500 (for undergraduates) $2500 (for graduate students and post-docs)

The American Friends of Herculaneum  (AFOH) are pleased to announce scholarships to undertake research on a topic related to Herculaneum (preferably) or other ancient sites around the Bay of Naples. Eligible topics include, but are not limited to archaeology, architecture, art history, conservation, history, historiography, papyrology, and philology.  Participation in field schools and photographic campaigns are also eligible.

Awards to undergraduates will be US $1500 and to graduates and post-docs US $2500.

Each applicant should submit a letter of application describing his/her project in detail, including dates and a tentative budget, clearly explaining how the funds will be used to AFOH President, Professor Carol Mattusch: mattusch@gmu.edu

A letter of recommendation from an advisor or supervisor should be sent directly to AFOH President, Professor Carol Mattusch: mattusch@gmu.edu

AFOH scholarships are open to students from all backgrounds. Minority and disadvantaged students are encouraged to apply.

Requirements:  Applicants must be members of the AFOH at the time of application; the recipient should remain a member until the end of the scholarship period. See herculaneumfriends.org

All application materials (including reference, transcript, application form, letter of application) must be received electronically by the AFOH president before April 1, 2016.  (NB: application form created and added on 22 Feb 2016.)

Notification of award anticipated April 15, 2016.

Successful candidates will be expected to submit reports of their activities to the American Friends of Herculaneum, which may be edited for publication in the Society’s newsletter.

Call for Papers: AFoH sponsored panel at SCS Toronto 5-8 January 2017

The American Friends of Herculaneum invite proposals for papers (of 15 or 20 minutes in length) to be presented on its sponsored panel at the next annual meeting of the Society for Classical Studies, to be held in Toronto, January 5-8, 2017. 

Papers can be on any and all aspects of Herculaneum: texts, architecture, sculpture, painting, excavations, conservation, historiography, recent finds, new directions, and new initiatives. 

One-page anonymous proposals with a cover letter should be received by March 1^st, sent to Ms Nancy A. Smith, Department of Classics, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, Room 503, New York, N.Y. 10003 (or nas1@nyu.edu). 

All participants must be members of the SCS for the year 2016. Preliminary inquiries should be addressed to Prof. Carol Mattusch at mattusch@gmu.edu.