Rosalie Sharp and Dr. Roger McFarlane, Classics
Introduction
The original purpose of my research was to develop a conservation plan for Maseria de Carolis (MDC), an archaeological site on the north slope of Mt. Vesuvius, Italy. Professional conservation of archaeological sites is a relatively new area of study. While conservation principles were first discussed in the 19th century, it was not until the 20th and 21st centuries that real steps were taken in developing principles for the conservation of structures, and conservation of structures became its own official sub-group of conservation, determined by the American Institute of Conservation (Matero 1993, 1). Because this sub-group is so new, codes and principles of conservation are still being developed and there is some ambiguity about what is ethically appropriate for conservation of structures at archaeological sites. This being the case, the purpose of my research was to discover why the relationship between archaeology and conservation is so important, and how these two disciplines can work together to optimize the amount of information a site yields. I used MDC as a case study for this research.
The archaeological site addressed as a case study in this paper is Maseria de Carolis (MDC), which is located within the commune of Pollena Trocchia on the north side of Mt. Vesuvius. Pollena Trocchia is a suburb of Naples, Italy. Mario Pagano was the first to excavate at MDC and began his work in the ‘80s. Unfortunately, his work stopped before it reached completion and he never did any kind of conservation at MDC. In 2007 excavations began again, this time under the direction of Antonio de Simone, a city manager of Pompeii and a member of the superintendency for Pompeii and Herculaneum. Ferdinando de Simone was the day-to-day director of site excavations and lab analysis. Extremely competent supervisors from Brigham Young University (BYU) and l’Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa (Suor Orsola), as well as Roger Macfarlane, of the Classics department at BYU, oversaw various sections of excavation at MDC. This is an ideal site for my research because it is a newly re-opened excavation with substantial structural remains, as well as important historic value. A variety of factors are contributing to the sites’ deterioration, which include: human activity, plant growth, weather and volcanic eruptions. However, conservation efforts have not been provided for in plans to excavate MDC, even though it is badly needed.
Research
As a senior majoring in Art History at BYU, I spent one summer excavating at MDC prior to beginning my ORCA research. I was fascinated by the work I was involved in at MDC, and motivated by my own interests in conservation and architecture to become more personally involved with the site. After speaking with Dr. Macfarlane, my mentor, about possibilities for my project, my original plan was to create a proposal for the conservation of MDC. However, with time I realized that I did not have the skills to complete this task. Instead, I decided to learn as much about conservation and archaeology as I could and re-think my research proposal then.
A very important part of my research included attending a workshop with a leading masonry conservation specialist in the United States, John Lambert. This workshop gave me many necessary skills for identifying conservation problems at site. I also read extensively on current conservation practices and issues in conservation of historic sites, and interviewed professionals about conservation of archaeological sites. I also spent a six weeks excavating at MDC and making observations about conservation problems I saw there.
While excavating at MDC I came across many more obstacles that made completing my proposal difficult. I planned to interview Ferdinando de Simone, the MDC site director, as well as engineers and conservators from Pompeii and Herculaneum to discuss conservation at MDC. Unfortunately, de Simone was very busy and I was not able to interview him until the last day of excavations. The other professionals I intended to interview were also unavailable. I was given a tour of site, and received a private tutorial on elements that are currently contributing to the deterioration of structures on site. I also had many insightful discussions with my trench supervisor about her experience with site conservation. I discovered that conservation, though important, is not always a priority. In cases such as at MDC, where funding and perhaps organization are lacking, conservation is seen as an ideal, not necessarily an expectation. I also found that MDC is threatened with losing information, by not implementing a conservation plan.
Future Work
This project will continue for about four more months. I would like to take a closer look at what risk there is at MDC for not implementing a conservation plan. I also need to learn more about the laws and codes that apply to archaeology and conservation in Italy. This will help me see what is legally expected of the relationship between these two groups. I will also correspond with officials from international organizations including UNESCO, and the International Centre for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property of Conservation (ICCROM). Interviews with archaeologists and conservators will also help me understand other points of view about the need for conservation at archaeological sites, and how conservation plans are applied elsewhere. I hope this research will help me better understand the connection between archaeology and conservation so I can develop specific recommendations for MDC.