Caroline Griffis | Herculaneum Summer School on Sustainable Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites

I completed my internship at a conservation-focused training program at the archaeological site of ancient Herculaneum in southern Italy. The summer school was co-organized by the Weitzman School of Design, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the Packard Humanities Institute. The program focused on the holistic management of challenging and multi-faceted cultural landscapes, and it combined site visits, fieldwork, collaborative research and a lecture series from experts in a wide variety of allied disciplines. The instructors and program participants were heritage professionals from different countries all over the world, and our diversity in experiences and perspectives positively contributed to our group dialogues and handling of assignments.

Herculaneum is the ruins of a large ancient Roman settlement, now situated within the modern-day city of Ercolano along the Bay of Naples. It was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. The ancient city was ‘buried alive’ by the eruption of the proximal volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E, which covered Herculaneum in more than 20 meters of pyroclastic flow. This burial created unique conditions allowing for the conservation of organic materials, including carbonized wood, textiles, food and papyrus scrolls. Unlike many other historical sites, which have been poorly impacted by exposure and interventions, the long-undisturbed site of Herculaneum gives evidence of everyday life in Roman society at the urban scale. Herculaneum, rediscovered by tunneling archaeologists in the 18th century, has since served as a sort of open-air laboratory for evolving conservation practices, demonstrated through diverse examples across the site. Scaffolding from new structural stabilization work stands next to long-interpreted buildings, whose walls are supported by corroding, 60’s-era reinforced concrete lintels. Much of the content and field activities in the summer school addressed the adverse effects of these ‘modern’ conservation solutions, where material incompatibilities have created long-term issues for preservation of ancient building fabric. The necessity of mindfully mitigating these and other site vulnerabilities, especially in the face of increasing environmental hazards, was continually reasserted throughout the program.

The program began by orienting participants to the immediate site and its physical complexities, including the conservation challenges at the infamous Villa dei Papiri, the ancient shoreline and the Bourbon-era excavated tunnels. The research groups tackled key issues by identifying material and deterioration types through conditions assessments, and also identified current and future risks to site integrity by analyzing environmental data. The cohort trained in relevant conservation technologies such as the use of salt tests and electromagnetic induction scanners, but we also recorded structures through hand sketching and photography (building upon skills from Documentation II). Through an interdisciplinary lecture series, our working cohort was also exposed to ideas and best practices from leading experts in archaeology, engineering, environmental science, data management, etc. The lessons, which ranged from topics like navigating bureaucracy and public-private partnerships to maintenance work schedules, were all highly applicable to the sustainable management of heritage sites. Although there was an emphasis on material science and conservation strategies, the archaeological park also fully integrated stakeholder management into its curriculum. Modern Ercolano sits directly above and around the park, which necessarily obliges active collaboration with members of the community and municipality. The cohort interviewed Ercolano residents and created development proposals which would more cohesively integrate the archaeological site with the infrastructure and culture of the contemporary town, reifying its status as “living heritage”.

Working on a “destroyed” site like Herculaneum provided constant reminders of the fragility of cultural heritage in the face of both ancient and modern risks. However, it also proved to be a profound lesson on resilience and unexpected opportunities. As a professional, I feel much more confident in my know-how, and better-equipped to make assessments. I have access to a large international network of talented preservationists, from which I will seek mentorship. In this field, it is easy to become disheartened by the numerous challenges of any historical site. However, my greatest takeaway from this experience relates to perspective: for creative and daring preservationists, the greatest challenges can become the most ground-breaking opportunities.