CIAMS is proud to announce the publication of the final report of the 2008-2012 seasons of excavation in the Great Peristyle garden of the Villa Arianna at Stabiae, as a monograph of the Quaderni di Studi Pompeiani, thanks to a publication grant from the Archaeological Institute of America. The volume was co-edited by CIAMS faculty member, Prof. Kathryn Gleason, who also contributed the two core chapters of the volume on the methodology and interpretation of the garden excavations. Prof. Gleason co-directed the excavations of the gardens from 2008-2012, in collaboration with a team from the University of Maryland who docomented the architecture. Methodologies used include LIDAR and GPR scans, as well as the advancement of new methodologies including the use of Dragon Skin, a silicon rubber used in the Hollywood special effects industry, for the casting of root cavities that was developed by Prof. Gleason and her students in her annual course-offering, "Parks and Imperial Fora of Ancient Rome.
During these years, several Cornell alums worked as supervisors on the excavations including Catherine Kearns (now Assistant Professor in the Classics Department at the University of Chicago), Jimmy Schryver (now Associate Professor in the Art History Department at the University of Minnesota - Morris), Jordana Wolf, and Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis (now Assistant Professor at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York).The monograph covers the period from 2008-2012, when the garden was exposed and documentated, but the project has continued as the Horti Stabiani project, which has surveyed all of the gardens known at Stabiae (Villa Arianna, Villa San Marco, Domus Panoramica). This phase has also benefited from the paticipation of several CIAMS affiliated students, beginning with the assistance of Katie Jarriel (PhD Classics) and undergrad Ariel Aicher for the initial meetings, followed by Project Manager Kaja Tally-Schumacher (PhD candidate, Art History), Nils Niemeier (Classics MA), and former Fulbright student at Cornell, Samuli Samelius who have been active in the creation of a database, interpretations, and publications who have been active in the creation of a database, interpretations, and publications such as this recent essay in Chronika.
The project was funded by a CU/Advance grant, Hirsch project and travel grants, the Department of Classics, the Einaudi Fund for International Travel, the Society for the Humanities, and by the Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation. Additional support came from a PICS grant (Le Projet International de Coopération Scientifique) for collaboration with Amina-Aicha Malek of the CNRS laboratory Archéologie et Philologie d’Orient et d’Occident (AOrOc) of the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) and Paris Sciences Lettres Research University (PSL). Congratulations, Prof. Gleason! For more information about the Hora Stabiani Project contact Prof. Kathryn Gleason.The monograph is available for purchase here: http://www.arborsapientiae.com/libro/20291/quaderni-di-studi-pompeiani-7-2016-excavation-and-study-of-the-garden-of-the-great-peristyle-of-the-villa-arianna-stabiae-2007-2012.html
