Sienkewicz Lectures on Roman Archaeology
Lecture Descriptions

“The Decline and Falls of the Roman Material Economy or How to Trash Talk Rome”

Inaugural Sienkewicz Lecture in Roman Archaeology

Víctor Martínez, Lecturer in Art History, Arkansas State University (vmmartinez001@gmail.com)
Whether Rome declined, fell, or just stumbled into the Middle Ages, it did so neither on an empty stomach nor without some wine to ease the transition.  While much has been written about the political, cultural, and social reasons for these changes, less attention has been placed on the day-to-day lives of the people during Rome's twilight.  In this paper, I draw upon my work on the Palatine East Excavations, which was the first systematic excavation on the eastern slope of Rome’s storied hill and which has produced over 15 metric tons of pottery, the bulk of which consists of large secondary refuse deposits dumped into and around the substructures of the building complex from the late third through the second half of the fifth century AD, in order to consider Rome's transformation.  This trash still has much to say and, alongside other evidence from Rome and its provinces, one can begin to understand how the aspects of the life histories of Roman refuse can inform about Rome in the waning years of the empire.

“The Significance of Images in the Reign of Nerva, 96-98 CE” (Sienkewicz Lecture on Roman Archaeology)

Nathan Elkins, Associate Professor of Art History, Baylor University (Nathan_Elkins@baylor.edu)

History remembers Nerva, who ruled from AD 96 to 98, as the emperor who adopted the popular general, Trajan, as his heir. Nerva’s adoption of Trajan added stability to his own principate, as he was unpopular with the army. Nerva’s principate left little in the way of public building and monumental art in view of his short reign and thus there is little to assess the “self-representation” of Nerva’s regime. The most complete record of state-sanctioned art from Nerva’s reign is, however, the imperial coinage. But the coinage has been studied with the biases of later historical sources in mind and is commonly characterized as “hopeful” or “apologetic.” State-sanctioned art did not operate this way; it always presented the emperor in a positive light. A reinterpretation of Nerva’s imperial coinage is thus in order and informs our understanding of political ideals and messages disseminated during his reign. Close study of the imagery on Nerva’s coinage suggests that those who formulated the iconography in the mint walked in the same circles as prominent senators and equestrians who associated with the emperor and who participated in the culture of adulation. The study thus illuminates issues surrounding the selection and formulation of Roman coin iconography and its relationship to political rhetoric.

Where Did the Pompeians Go? Searching for Survivors from the Eruption of Vesuvius, AD 79"

Steven Tuck, Professor of Classsics, Miami University (tucksl@mamioh.edu)  

The goal of this project is to attempt to determine whether people from Pompeii and Herculaneum survived the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 and if so, whether survivors can be located in the Roman world. Evidence that might indicate refugee resettlement includes individuals whose movement is documented, Roman family names, voting tribes, refugee intermarriage, new infrastructure, and cultural evidence, Analysis of this material finds that the coastal communities of Cumae, Naples, Puteoli, and Ostia provide the best support for refugee resettlement. The patterns indicate that more people survived from Pompeii than from Herculaneum, that most stayed in coastal Campania, and that government intervention and support came after resettlement, but did not drive it. Additionally, the refugees that can be traced seem to have selected refuge cities based on personal factors such as social and economic networks.