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A Tale of Two “Villas”: Luxury, Wine, and Water and the Last Years of Oplontis

Michael L. Thomas, Center for the Study of Ancient Italy, The University of Texas at Austin
Friday, May 6, 2016
6:00-7:00 PM
125 Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Map
The same eruption that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum also claimed the seaside area of ancient Oplontis, now buried under the modern town of Torre Annunziata. Though archaeologists in the nineteen-sixties and seventies uncovered the sites of what they would label Oplontis Villas A and B, it was not until 2005 that a comprehensive study would begin under the Oplontis Project. Michael Thomas, co-director of the project, takes us through the years leading up to the eruption. During that time the two sites Villa A—a luxury villa known to many as the Villa of Poppea—would undergo a major renovation only to be abandoned soon after. In contrast, the mislabeled Villa B would thrive as a bustling center of commerce, still active in the wine trade up until the moment of the eruption.

The special exhibition "Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero: The Villas of Oplontis Near Pompeii" will be open from 4:00-6:00pm prior to the lecture.
Building: Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Event Type: Lecture / Discussion
Tags: Lecture, Museum
Source: Happening @ Michigan from Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, Classical Studies, Interdepartmental Program in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Lectures, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Exhibition-related