Sponsored by the American Friends of Herculaneum
Organized by Carol Mattusch, George Mason University, mattusch@gmu.edu; and David Sider, New York University, david.sider@nyu.edu
Herculaneum and the other ancient sites around the Bay of Naples that were covered and thus paradoxically preserved by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE have for the past three centuries revealed a unique view of many aspects of daily lives in the ancient Roman world. But only Herculaneum has yielded ancient books, and even though it was 70 feet underground and was particularly difficult of access, the papyrus rolls discovered in the mid-18th century in the so-called Villa of the Papyri have been the subject of intense study ever since, most recently by x-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT). Additional studies underway in the town itself include digital documentation of graffiti, and the laser-scanning and reconstruction of a wooden roof. And sculptures from Herculaneum are now being examined not only for ancient production techniques but also for the history of repairs in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The American Friends of Herculaneum invite proposals for a panel of papers on current research in any aspect of Herculaneum and nearby sites (literary, scientific, art historical, philosophical, historical, vulcanological, etc.) at the meeting of the Society for Classical Studies (SCS) in early January, 2016, to be held in San Francisco.
Abstracts of up to 650 words (not including a brief bibliography) for a 20-minute paper should be sent (and arrive no later than midnight EST on March 1, 2015) to Ms Nancy A. Smith (nas@nyu.edu), with “AFoH” in the subject line. Membership in the AFoH is not required for participation in this panel. All abstracts for papers will be read anonymously by two referees. Please follow the instructions for the format of individual abstracts that appear on the SCS web site. In your cover letter or e-mail, please confirm that you are an SCS member in good standing, with dues paid through 2015.
See more about the AFoH at http://herculaneumfriends.org/