POMPEII

The original goals of the Via dell’Abbondanza Project were established in 2004.  The following results were achieved:

Goal - Use the latest digital technology to completely survey and photograph the properties on both sides of the 900 meter-long street.

Result - Between 2005 and 2009, the thirty-two city blocks along via dell’Abbondanza were recorded with over 13,000 survey points and in excess of 5,000 digital images.

Goal - Combine the data to produce accurate high quality digital orthographic photomosaics of the building frontages.

Result - All control background drawings and photomosaics were produced after each summer season and finalized between 2010 and 2014.

Goal - Make the data available to the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei. and other repositories in digital or other appropriate form.

Result – The completed photomosaics were delivered to the Soprintendenza in printed and digital form in 2016. 

The images were made available to the American Academy in Rome (AAR) in 2020 for long term preservation and royalty-free display and distribution for academic and non-commercial uses, and they have been archived in the Photographic Archives of the AAR Digital Humanities Center (http://dhc.aarome.org/stephens).  

Low-resolution images and enlargements are included in the Photomosaics section of this website.

Goal - Describe the methodology for producing the photomosaics.

Result – A complete description of the methodology used to create these photomosaics is included in the Project section of this website.

Goal - Determine, if possible, the location of the original Spinazzola watercolors, drawings and photographs published in the three-volume Pompei alla luce degli Scavi Nuovi di Via dell’Abbondanza (anni 1910-1923) and record all appropriate material in digital form.

Result – The objective of finding the original Spinazzola excavation materials was to include them in condition assessment analyses of the facades of via dell’Abbondanza. Described more fully in the Research section of this website, ninety photographic prints of the excavations and some of the original excavation reports were located and photographed. None of the other original drawings, watercolors or charcoal illustrations were found.  The Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato kindly granted permission to reproduce images from the 1953 publication volumes.

Goal - Research and collect other archival and published material about the street.  Analyze the deterioration that has occurred to the structures since their excavation by comparing the photomosaics with historical records such as engravings, watercolors, photographs and drawings.

Result – A variety of information was collected and compiled about the history of the excavation of the street, the names and function of the properties and WWII bomb damage. The lengths of the city blocks and cross streets were determined.  Photographs, drawings and illustrations were collected and compared to the photomosaics to determine what changes had occurred since the excavation of the structures. These studies and analyses are presented in the Research section of this website.  In addition, Professor John Dobbins and Dr. Damian Robinson have graciously provided essays that examine the configuration and use of the public space on via dell’Abbondanza, and the relationships between the wealthy, their homes and the adjacent commercial properties.

Goal - Graphically present the photomosaics of the entire via dell’Abbondanza with supporting information.

Result – The photomosaics and detailed supporting information are presented on this website. A book that complements the website was published in 2017 that contains the photomosaics, summarizes the rationale for documenting the structures, the methodology used to create the images and presents other factual information about the buildings and street.