An article on Kentucky.com on the University of Kentucky’s EDUCE project — Enhanced Digital Unwrapping for Conservation and Exploration — and their efforts to use x-ray scans to read some of the carbonized scrolls from the Villa dei Papiri’s library.

The [University of Kentucky] team spent a month last summer making numerous X-ray scans of two of the scrolls that are stored at the French National Academy in Paris. They hoped that computer processing would convert the scans into digital images showing the interiors of the scrolls and revealing the ancient writing. The main fear, however, was that the Roman writers might have used carbon-based inks, which would be essentially invisible to the scans.

That fear has turned out to be fact.

“We hoped that we could look for calcium or other trace compounds in the ink that might help us tease out the writing,” [Brent Seales, Gill professor of engineering] said. “But that hasn’t worked.”

Seales says he now hopes that re-scanning the scrolls with more powerful X-ray equipment will reveal the text, which scholars are anxious to read.

…

Seales says that, in addition to the carbon-ink problem, the sheer volume of computer data produced from the X-ray scans overwhelmed UK’s interactive software. That slowed the system to the point that technicians were typing in commands and waiting half an hour or more for a response, he said.

We have updated the pages for all of IX.12.1 to 9 and also the Street Altar at IX.12.7.
We have added more pictures to

IX.12.6 The House of the Chaste Lovers
and

IX.12.9 The House of the Painters at Work

For the first time we have also been able to include room plans of these two houses and have labelled the pictures according to the plan.

Jackie and Bob at pompeiiinpictures

The Pompeii Project of the University of Helsinki (a.k.a Expeditio Pompeiana Universitatis Helsingiensis) will be working in Insula IX,3 along the Via Stabiana (next to the Central Baths) 3.-28.5.2010.
Please do come visit us!

Dear Pompeianists,

I’m sure that this is something that you will have come across in your time as fellow researchers: how best to use CIL. For instance, I’m using a copy of CIL 4, Supplement 3 to include incriptions and references relevant to my research, but my university’s copies are ages old as it dates from the turn of the nineteeth to twentieth century.

Of course, there will have been more entries made since this version was published and these I can get by interlibrary loan. But does anyone know of any online sources for searching specific entries (ie., by region, subject etc)? Or have any general tips? I may have missed a simple bit in the understanding of how CIL works, so I’d be grateful for even the most basic of information!

Thanks! Sera

Dear fellow bloggers:

I’m posting this in the hope that someone might have a copy of R. Gulino’s 1987 work Implications
of the spatial arrangements of tabernae at Pompeii, Region One.

Some time ago I requested this work by interlibrary loan in Britain and it came all the way from America. I require some info from the work, specifically two pages (13 & 14). I would be extremely grateful if anyone might scan the pages for me! I know it’s a long shot, but thought if anyone might have it it would be a Blogging Pompeii fan.

Ta!
Sera

In January Eric Poehler posted a request to locate the sewer exit to the south of the Porta Marina. We have taken this long distance shot from the exit from the site below the Porta Marina.

It is located on the south side of the Porta Marina in the city wall below the stairs leading to the Garden/ Lararia of the Pompeianisti.

We tried to take a closer picture but were refused access on two occasions.

We hope this helps.

Jackie and Bob at pompeiiinpictures (in Pompeii until the 9th May)

Press release announcing new WiFi Spot at the archaeological site of Herculaneum and presentation of the children’s guidebook to site:’Living Ercolano’

C O M U N I C A T O S T A M P A

Lunedì 26 Aprile – ore 12,30
Nuovo ingresso Scavi di Ercolano

Il Sindaco di Ercolano dott. Vincenzo Strazzullo e il Direttore degli Scavi di Ercolano, dott.ssa Maria Paola Guidobaldi, presenteranno il nuovo WIFI SPOT gratuito e la guida per ragazzi al Parco archeologico “Living Ercolano” (in italiano ed inglese) edita da “L’isola dei ragazzi” s.r.l. edizioni di Napoli.

Interverranno:
dott. Gaetano Daniele – Presidente ANCI Campania

dott. Marco Calderazzi della G.N.L. – WIFI

dott. Bruno Cantamessa – Autore della Guida

A new BAR International Series volume has a few papers on Pompeii that may be of interest:

BAR S2079 2010: Making History Interactive. Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA). Proceedings of the 37th International Conference, Williamsburg, Virginia, United States of America, March 22-26, 2009 edited by Bernard Frischer, Jane Webb Crawford and David Koller.
ISBN 9781407305561. £60.00. ix+408 pages; illustrated throughout with maps, plans, figures, drawings and photographs; with CD.

Including:

Precision Recording of Pompeian Standing Remains via Stitched Rectified Photography / Anderson, M (pp.1-10)

Digitizing Pompeii’s Forum / Guidi, G.; Remondino, F.; Russo, M.; Menna, F.; Rizzi, A.; Ercoli, S. (pp.106-116)

Determining Function of Pompeian Sidewalk Features through GIS Analysis / Weiss, C. (pp.363-372)