Symposium Vesuvianum 2027: CfP
Exploring the “Soft City”:
Tracing Life in Pre-Eruption Pompeii and Herculaneum
Symposium Vesuvianum 2027
Harry Wilks Study Center, Villa Vergiliana, Cuma, Italy
October 6–9, 2027
Organized by Bruce Longenecker (Baylor University) and Steve Tuck (Miami University)
The interpretation of archaeological sites often extends beyond description of the built environment to include approximations of the “lived experience” of people within those spaces. Through disciplined historical imagination grounded in and constrained by archaeological and literary evidence, recent scholarship has increasingly sought to catch glimpses of the “soft city” that once animated the “hard city” of buildings and streets. For instance, John Clarke has recently urged scholars to develop scenarios through which to “hypothesize the experiences of a wide variety” of the ancient population; similarly, Sarah Levin-Richardson has called for explorations of “the physical, social, and emotional experiences” of that population. The sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and associated villas offer an ideal laboratory for experiments of this kind, with their rich archaeological data facilitating disciplined approximations of ancient urban life.
This symposium will foster conversations regarding the use of Vesuvian realia for glimpsing human life within these urban centers prior to the eruption of 79 CE. Paper proposals are invited on topics that explore the reconstruction of human life from the archaeological record of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and associated villas. Papers might offer fresh case studies and/or reflect more broadly on the opportunities and challenges of the task. One way or another, they will address issues pertaining to the tracing of human life within the built environment through evidence-based reconstruction, disciplined historical imagination, and methodological reflection.
Confirmed participants include: Joanne Barry (Swansea University), Caitlin Barrett (Cornell University), Miko Flohr (University of Leiden), Ray Laurence (Macquarie University), and Eric Poehler (University of Massachusetts).
Send abstracts of 300–400 words to Bruce Longenecker (Bruce_Longenecker@baylor.edu) or Steve Tuck (tucksl@miamioh.edu) by January 15, 2027. Each paper selected for the symposium will have a 30-minute time block, which includes both presentation and Q&A. We recommend that you plan to present a paper 20-25 minutes in length to allow for discussion. A half-day site visit will be included in the symposium, hosted by Director Zuchtriegel. The symposium will begin with an evening meal at the Villa Vergiliana on October 6. (Vergilian Society membership is required to stay at the villa. Other applicable fees are to be expected.) After the symposium, selected papers may be invited for inclusion in a published volume.