Éveha International is involved in the study phase of the Fortuna temple of Pompei. The project is directed by William Van Andringa (University of Lille 3, CNRS).
The excavation campaigns
(by years)
Direction
William Van Andringa (University of Lille III – CNRS, UMR 8164 – HALMA-IPEL)
Location and historical summary
The town of Pompeii is located in the south of Italy, on the bay of Naples. It is an ancient coastal town of almost 60 ha encircled by a wall and was densely populated. Founded in the 7th century AD, it became a Roman colony in 80 BC. During the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the town was buried under a huge quantity of volcanic deposits. After this disaster, the town was abandoned, though not before some of the materials were recovered.
In the heart of the town near the forum, Marcus Tullius, an important figure of the Pompeiian aristocracy, had financed the construction of a public monument. Built on a site belonging to him, which he donated to the city, the Corinthian-order pseudo-peripteros temple was dedicated to Fortuna Augusta. An inscription found on the site proves that the first ministers of the temple were nominated by the city in 3 AD, but the building had been completed earlier. Later, the building underwent a number of modifications – in particular the restoration of the apse – which may be due to the earthquake of 62 AD.
After the eruption, some of the building materials were retrieved, before the temple was definitively abandoned.
Research History
The town of Pompeii was discovered by chance at the end of the 16th century, but it was not until the 18th century that the site was intensively excavated. The temple of Fortuna Augusta was uncovered in 1823-1824. However, although it has been referenced, and copied, many times since then, this monument had never been comprehensively studied. To fill this gap, a research programme was launched in 2008, on the initiative of Willam Van Andringa (CNRS).
This project aims to gain a better understanding of the temple: what did it look like? What transformations did it undergo? How was the construction of the building organised? The objective was also to examine the temple’s relationship with the city, and to explore the change from private to public space. Furthermore, the excavation of the areas around the temple reached the geological levels at a number of places. These windows enabled us to trace the urban development of the area over a long period of time, from the town’s beginnings to the earthquake of 79 AD.
Excavations took place from 2008 to 2012 and since 2013, work has been focused on the publication of their research.
How Eveha International Participates
Archaeologcal investigation, instrumentum studies
PARTNERS
École Française de Rome (France)
University of Lille III (France)
Arkeolan Foundation, Oiasso Museum, Irun (Spain)
Soprintendenza par i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei (Italy)
PUBLICATIONS
W. Van Andringa, A. Basterretxea, J.-F. Bernard, C. Chevalier, A. Coutelas, T. Creissen, F. Decanter, X. Deru, D. Fellague, A. Gailliot, J. Laiho, A. Lekuona, T. Lind, C. Loiseau, V. Matterne, M. J. Noain, T. Oueslati, M. M. Urteaga, V. Lallet et M. Robinson, « M. Tullius et le temple de fortune Auguste à Pompéi (campagnes de fouille et d’étude 2008-2010) », Mélanges de l’École française de Rome – Antiquité, 123-1 | 2011, 359-366.
W. Van Andringa, « Pompéi. M. Tullius et le temple de Fortune Auguste », Chronique des activités archéologiques de l’École française de Rome, Les cités vésuviennes | 2013.
A. Coutelas, Th. Creissen, W. Van Andringa « Le chantier de construction du temple de Fortune à Pompéi », in S. Agusta-Boularot, S. Huber, W. Van Andringa (dir.), Quand naissent les dieux, 2017, p. 151-172.