Summary of the Proceedings and Papers Presented at - World ...

The Herculaneum Conservation Project:
Architectural Aspects
by Gionata Rizzi
The project area covers the whole of the Insula Orientalis
I, as well as the terrace of the Suburban
Baths; it includes the House of the Telephus Relief,
the House of the Gem, and the House of M. Pilius
Primigenius Granianus.
This is not the place for a detailed architectural description
of the complex, which has already been carried out by
Maiuri following his excavations. Our understanding of this
insula as a physical entity, however, and its precise geometrical
configuration, has been considerably improved by a survey
by Akhet. This, with its two plans and thirteen elevation
sections, represents the most accurate recording yet undertaken.
We have recreated the insula in three dimensions, using a
wooden model; this in some ways represents the main contribution
of the preliminary project. The model is a tool which
has allowed us to carry out spatial analyses and geometrical
evaluations of the various proposed reconstructions of the
insula as it was in AD 79. It has also facilitated the process of
evaluating the architectural impact of the new roofs that are
part of the conservation project.
The project area covers the whole of the Insula Orientalis I, as
well as the terrace of the Suburban Baths; it includes the House
of the Telephus Relief, the House of the Gem, and the House of
M. Pilius Primigenius Granianus.
Analysis of current conditions
The architectural and archaeological nature of this insula
would be impossible to appreciate in its complexity without
the impressive analytical study undertaken by Sosandra.
Their meticulous research, aiming to decipher the information
concealed within wall structures (to which we refer for
the identification of stratigraphic units and the reconstruction
of building phases), has revealed the archaeological im-
italiano
portance of the surviving structures, whilst at the same time
suggesting a number of interesting hypotheses to aid our
understanding of the complexís historical evolution.
The stratigraphic study of wall structures is essential for
an optimal approach to the architectural restoration of the
insula. It has shown, among other things, that the status quo
at the moment of the eruption was the result of constant
modifications. These gradually transformed the original layout
of the three houses, adapting them to the physical characteristics
of the site and the changing aesthetic and functional
requirements of their inhabitants.
The wooden model is a tool which has allowed us to develop a
spatial analysis of the roofs representing part of the restoration
project, and to visualize their architectural impact.
The extent of the transformations to which the insula was
subjected between the Samnite period and the post-earthquake
period is extremely important in the context of conservation
work. Evidence that the insula was formed through
constant modifications to floor plans and wall structures
shows the futility of any attempt to reinstate their forma
pristina on the basis of typological parallels, or, worse still,
Vitruvian precepts.
Another fact of enormous interest emerging from the
detailed examination of wall structures is the amount of reconstruction
work carried out by Maiuri alongside his excavations.
The extent of these restorations (although in some
cases we are dealing with work affecting only wall surfaces),
sheds new light on the real extent of Roman remains at Herculaneum.
We can now easily imagine what the town would
have looked like as a whole had this reconstruction work not
taken place.
From the point of view of the conservation project, this