Prime Location at Pompeii: Development and Function of Insula VIII.5

• Applicants: Dr. Domenico Esposito; Professorin Dr. Monika Trümper
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 555011699

Insula VIII.5 is located in urban prime location at Pompeii, between the two main public areas of the town, the Civil Forum and the Triangular Forum. On 6.475 sqm surface area, the insula included in its last state 21 tabernae, 5 atrium-peristyle-houses, a small courtyard house, a large garden complex, and a building yard (formerly the Republican Baths). Sporadic and largely unpublished investigations have shown that the terrain of the insula was built from Pompeii’s foundation in the 6th century BC through its destruction by Vesuvius in AD 79. While the visible remains mostly belong to the Late Hellenistic and early Imperial period (c. 130 BC - AD 79), important remains of Pompeii’s little-known Archaic and Samnite periods (6th - early 2nd c BC) were excavated by A. Maiuri in 1946-1950, but barely published. Despite its obvious importance for the city’s development and life, the insula has never been comprehensively investigated except for the Republican Baths, studied in a DFG-funded project between 2015 and 2019. This project revealed significant changes in plan and function of the lot in all of Pompeii’s key historical phases; it also yielded evidence that the insula was originally subdivided into 4 small square insulae by two streets, reflecting a significantly different concept of urban planning that may belong to the Archaic or early Samnite period. Building upon the promising results of this project the new project aims to fill a significant research gap by investigating the entire Insula VIII.5 with a well-tested multi-method and interdisciplinary approach. The following questions will be examined: how was Insula VIII.5 developed between the 6th century BC and AD 79, what was its function and urban significance, and how can its investigation contribute to current research debates on the history and urban development of Pompeii, notably its much-debated SW sector (‘Altstadt’). The project is planned for six years (2 x 3 years) but will produce stand-alone results in phase 1 which is applied for and described here. All available evidence will be studied, including archival documents, standing architecture, decoration, and finds. Central to answering the research questions are stratigraphic excavations in the entire insula, in phase 1 with a focus on the early street grid and the eastern part of the insula. A preparatory cleaning campaign carried out in March 2024 has revealed important insights for the potential and feasibility of the planned work program. The applicants will cooperate with a team of experienced international specialists from different disciplines with whom they have successfully cooperated in previous projects. While all excavation campaigns (3 in phase 1) will be published in preliminary reports, phase 1 will also yield synthetic articles and phase 2 should result in a monograph.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants