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Oplontis: Villa A (“of Poppaea”) at Torre Annunziata, Italy. Volume 1. The Ancient Setting and Modern Rediscovery

John R. Clarke and Nayla K. Muntasser

Open Access

Cover
Title Page
Copyright and Permissions
List of Illustrations
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
List of Tables
Foreword Teresa Elena Cinquantaquattro
Premessa Teresa Elena Cinquantaquattro
Preface Lorenzo Fergola
Presentazione Lorenzo Fergola
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction to the Oplontis Project Michael L. Thomas John R. Clarke
Introduction to Volume 1 Nayla Kabazi Muntasser
Chapter 1 Villas on the Bay of Naples: The Ancient Setting of Oplontis Elaine K. Gazda
- Roman villa life
  - An ideology of country life
  - Rustic farmhouses and luxurious villas
  - The appeal of Campania
  - Functions and lifestyles of villas around the Bay
  - Hospitality and “villa culture”
- Archaeological remains of villas around the shores of the bay
  - Villa excavation
  - Villa A: Setting, architecture, and decor
  - Villa A in the context of its peers
  - Pompeii: The Villa of the Mysteries and the Villa of Diomedes
  - Boscoreale: The Villa of P. Fannius Synistor and Villa of the Treasure
  - Boscotrecase: The Villa of Agrippa Postumus
  - Terzigno: Villa 6
  - Torre del Greco: The Villa Sora
  - Herculaneum: The Villa of the Papyri
  - Along the Sarno: Fondo Bottaro and Moregine
  - Stabiae: The Villa of San Marco and Villa Arianna
  - Surrentum and Capriae
  - The Northern Shore: From Pausilypon to Misenum
- Architecture and lifestyle
- Epilogue
Chapter 2 Villas and other Structures in the Area of Oplontis Lorenzo Fergola
- Introduction
- Archaeological finds near Villa A
- Finds in the western zone of Torre Annunziata
- Conclusions
Capitolo 2 Ville e altri edifici nell'area Oplontina Lorenzo Fergola
- Introduzione
- I rinvenimenti in prossimità della villa di Poppea
- I rinvenimenti della zona occidentale di Torre Annunziata
- Conclusioni
Chapter 3 A Historical Account of Archaeological Discoveries in the Region of Torre Annunziata Vincenzo Marasco
- Introduction
- The end of the sixteenth to the beginning of the eighteenth century The first archaeological discoveries
- The late eighteenth century April 1785: The explorations of Francesco La Vega
- The nineteenth century
  - 18 June 1831: The sensational discovery of Oplontis
  - Excavations of the baths
  - March 1833-November 1840: Excavations in the area of Le Mascatelle
  - April 1837: Carminiello
  - March 1841–April 1843: Construction of the “Bayard” railroad
  - 1880–1890: The return to prominence of the finds near Le Mascatelle The mystery of Minerva
- Rediscovery of Oplontis in the early twentieth century
  - Introduction
  - 1907: Madonna del Principio (Raiola Property)
  - 1913: Corso Umberto I (Giuseppe Gentile property)
  - 1913: Via Circumvallazione (The Gallo mill)
  - 1934–1936: Le Mascatelle and Via Gioacchino Murat (Sola and Pacifico properties)
  - 1938: Carminiello
  - 1940: Corso Umberto I (Vecchi property)
  - 1944: Discoveries by allied troops
  - January 1948: Via Sepolcri (De Rosa property)
- Oplontis reborn: Discoveries at Le Mascatelle
  - Introduction
  - 1954: Medina property
  - 1957: Vitiello property
  - 1959: Istituto of the Sisters of Gesù Bambino and Fattorusso property
- The 1960s
  - Introduction
  - March 1960: Via Alessandro Volta (Istituto Ernesto Cesaro)
  - May 1960: Terme Vesuviane (ex-Terme Nunziante)
  - 1964: Torretta de’ Siena and Via Penniniello (Casella property)
  - 1964: Systematic excavation of Villa A begins
  - 1964–1965: Via Litoranea (Luigi Manzo property and the case of La P.E.R.L.A.)
- The 1970s
  - 16 September 1970: Croce di Pasella
  - January 1973: Via Gioacchino Murat
  - July 1974
- The 1990s to the present
  - October 1991: Via Gioacchino Murat
  - June-July 2009: Via Penniniello
  - Archaeological finds on the Islet of Rovigliano
  - The Myth of the Herculean Salt Flats
- Summary of discoveries
Capitolo 3 La storia delle scoperte archeologiche nella zona di Torre Annunziata Vincenzo Marasco
- Introduzione
- Fine XVI, inizio XVII secolo Le prime scoperte archeologiche
- Fine XVIII secolo Aprile 1785: Le prime intuizioni archeologiche; le esplorazioni di Francesco La Vega
- Il XIX secolo
  - 18 giugno 1831: Oplontis, la sensazionale scoperta L'opera del Nunziante, la scoperta di Sir William Robinson
  - Lo scavo delle Terme
  - Marzo 1833 – novembre 1840: Scavi in località Mascatelle
  - Aprile 1837: Località Carminiello Ruderi di antiche fabbriche
  - Marzo 1841 – aprile 1843: La costruzione della strada ferrata “Bayard”
  - 1880 – 1890: Ritornano alla ribalta i ritrovamenti presso la località Mascatelle Il mistero della Minerva
- La prima metà del XX secolo
  - L'inesorabile riscoperta di Oplontis
  - 1907: Località Madonna del Principio, fondo Raiola
  - 1913: Corso Umberto I, proprietà Giuseppe Gentile
  - 1913: Via Circumvallazione, molino Gallo
  - 1934 – 1936: Località Mascatelle, via Gioacchino Murat, proprietà Sola e Pacifico
  - 1938: Località Carminiello
  - 1940: Corso Umberto I, proprietà Vecchi
  - 1944: Ritrovamenti da parte delle truppe alleate
  - Gennaio 1948: Via Sepolcri, proprietà De Rosa
- La seconda metà del XX secolo
  - La rinascita di Oplontis: Scoperte alle Mascatelle
  - 1954: Proprietà Medina
  - 1957: Proprietà Vitiello
  - 1959: Istituto Bambino Gesù e Proprietà Fattorusso
- Gli anni ‘60
  - Introduzione
  - Marzo 1960: Via Alessandro Volta, Istituto Commerciale E. Cesaro
  - Maggio 1960: Terme Vesuviane (ex Nunziante)
  - 1964: Località Torretta de’ Siena, fondo Casella
  - 1964: Iniziano gli scavi sistematici della Villa A
  - 1964 – 1965: Via Litoranea, proprietà Luigi Manzo, caso “La P.E.R.L.A.”
- Gli anni ‘70
  - 16 settembre 1970: Località Croce di Pasella Rinvenimento di tomba con lapide sepolcrale
  - Gennaio 1973: Via Gioacchino Murat Rinvenimento di un importante complesso archeologico attribuito poi a L. Crassius Tertius
  - Luglio 1974
- Dagli anni ‘90 fino ad oggi
  - Ottobre 1991: Via Gioacchino Murat: Rinvenimento di indizi archeologici relativi al proseguimento della Villa A
  - Giugno – luglio 2009: Rinvenimenti in località Penniniello
  - Le presenze archeologiche sull'isolotto di Rovigliano
  - Il mito delle Saline Herculee
- Riepilogo delle scoperte nella area della Villa A
Chapter 4 The Geoarchaeology of the Oplontis Coast Giovanni Di Maio
- Introduction
- Stratigraphic data
  - Villa A: Sequence of stratigraphic data from the north garden
  - Stratigraphic sections of the Oplontis cliff
- Conclusions
Capitolo 4 Il paesaggio archeologico della costa di Oplonti Giovanni Di Maio
- Introduzione
- I dati stratigrafici
  - Villa A La sequenza stratigrafica del giardino settentrionale
  - Le sezioni stratigrafiche della falesia oplontina
- Conclusioni
Chapter 5 History of the Excavations 1964–1988 John R. Clarke
- The place-name “Oplontis”
- Early excavation of Villa A: 1593–1840
- The lost years, 1964–1971
- Change in administration: The dismissal of Carlo Giordano
- The consistently documented years, 1971–1983
  - Introduction
  - Excavation Notebook 1: 10 November 1971–11 July 1973
  - Excavation Notebook 2: 12 July 1973–16 November 1973
  - Excavation Notebook 3: 17 November 1973–3 August 1974
  - Excavation Notebook 4: 25 November 1974–19 July 1983
  - 25 November 1974–8 August 1975
  - 20 October 1975–14 July 1976
  - 10 September 1976–19 July 1978
  - 15 October 1977–9 October 1978
  - 10 May 1983–19 July 1983
- The documents of the later 1980s
  - 1 March 1984–2 November 1984
  - November 1985
  - May 1988
- Conclusions
Chapter 6 Wilhelmina Jashemski and Garden Archaeology at Oplontis Kathryn Gleason
- Introduction
- Background
- The methodologies of garden archaeology at Oplontis
- Recording methods
  - Introduction
  - Photography
  - Fieldbooks
  - Measured drawings
- Field recovery of garden remains
  - Introduction
  - What is left of a garden after two thousand years?
  - Local knowledge
- Surface studies
  - Soil contours
  - South peristyle garden 59
  - North garden 56
  - Pool garden 98
  - Soil analyses
- Root cavity studies and casting
  - Introduction
  - Tools for cleaning cavities
  - Technique of cleaning and casting root cavities
  - Interpretation of root cavities
  - New directions in documentation and interpretation of root cavities
- The root cavities of Villa A
  - Introduction
  - South peristyle garden 59
  - North garden 56
  - Pool garden 98
  - Garden 92
- Planting pots (ollae perforatae)
  - Introduction
  - South peristyle garden 59
  - Garden 16
  - Pool garden 98
  - Discussion
- Archaeobotanical studies
  - Introduction
  - Plant microremains
  - Interpretations of pollen evidence
  - Plant macroremains
  - Preservation
  - Sampling
  - Other archaeobotanical techniques
- Plants and garden design in wall paintings
  - Introduction
  - Wall painting and the design of planting displays
  - Garden re-creations
- Conclusion
Chapter 7 Between Natural History and Artistic Invention: Representations of Plants in the Paintings of Villa A Massimo Ricciardi
- Introduction
- Identified species
- Identifications that are uncertain or need confirmation
- Paintings with unidentified plants
- Conclusion
Chapter 8 Between Natural History and Artistic Convention: Representations of Animals in Villa A Massimo Ricciardi
- Introduction
- Paintings of animals identified as to species
- Generic or uncertain identifications
- Mythological creatures
- Conclusions
Chapter 9 The Origins and Types of Timber and Other Woody Remains of Villa A Gaetano Di Pasquale Daniela Moser Emilia Allevato Oliver Nelle
- Archaeobotany in the Vesuvian region
- The study of archaeological wood
  - [Intro]
  - Contexts studied
  - Results of the analyses
- Discussion
  - The beams
  - The gardens of the Villa
- Conclusions
Chapter 10 Pollen and Phytolith Analysis of Soil Samples at Oplontis Villa A Elda Russo Ermolli Erwan Messager
- Introduction
- Pollen and phytolith analysis at Oplontis
- Materials and methods
- Results
- Determination concerns
- Viridarium 20
- Conclusions
Appendix The Giornali di Scavo and Other Documentation, 1964–1988
Notes
- Chapter 1: Villas on the Bay Of Naples: The Ancient Setting of Oplontis
- Chapter 2: Villas and Other Structures in the Area of Oplontis
- Capitolo 2: Ville e Altri Edifici Nell'Area Oplontina
- Chapter 3: A Historical Account of Archaeological Discoveries in the Region of Torre Annunziata
- Capitolo 3: La storia delle scoperte archeologiche nella zona di Torre Annunziata
- Chapter 4: The Geoarchaeology of the Oplontis Coast
- Capitolo 4: Il paesaggio archeologico della costa di Oplonti
- Chapter 5: History of the Excavations 1964–1988
- Chapter 6: Wilhelmina Jashemski and Garden Archaeology at Oplontis
- Chapter 7: Between Natural History and Artistic Invention: Representations of Plants in the Paintings of Villa A
- Chapter 8: Between Natural History and Artistic Convention: Representations of Animals in Villa A
- Chapter 9: The Origins and Types of Timber and other Woody Remains of Villa A
- Chapter 10: Pollen and Phytolith Analysis of Soil Samples at Oplontis Villa A
Bibliography
- Archival Sources
- Books and Articles

Reviews
Journal Abbreviation	Label	URL
JSAH	75.3 (Sept. 2016): 366-367	http://jsah.ucpress.edu/content/75/3/366
AJA	21.3 (Jul. 2017)	http://www.ajaonline.org/book-review/3500
JRAS	34.1 (June 2021): 253-274	https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047759421000404

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