University of Texas at Austin alumnus and Assistant Professor of Art and Art History at the University of New Hampshire Ivo van der Graaff (Ph.D. in Art History, 2013) recently had his book, The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy, published by Routledge. The book redefines Pompeii’s fortifications, which stand as the city's largest, oldest and best preserved public monument, as a central to how the city was shaped. The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy serves as a unique narrative of the social and urban development of the city from foundation to the eruption of Vesuvius, through the lens of the public building most critical to its independence and survival.
On September 26, van der Graaff visited UT Austin and the Center for the Study of Ancient Italy to discuss his research and work as the field director of the Oplontis Project excavations sponsored by UT Austin. We sat down with him to discuss his research and career.
Interview edited for clarity and length.
Could you describe succinctly but accessibly the topic of your most recent publication? An overview that goes beyond the Routledge summary.
Ivo van der Graaff: The overarching topic of the book is actually much larger than the title suggests. My aim is to start addressing how city walls were part of the urbanization process that spread throughout Italy and the broader Mediterranean beginning in the 7th century BC. How were city walls, as arguably the largest public structure in settlements, part of notions of civic identity and how did their presence influence the development of the city? From here, a series of new questions develop regarding patronage, design, military tactics, and ornamentation, which all revolve around this single monument. Pompeii really is one of the few places where one can start to ask these questions because its state of preservation allows one to study the ruins of the city and the fortifications as a single unit through time.
What is novel about this approach to your subject matter?
Well, fortifications have understandably received most attention from a military perspective. The social and political functions are matters that have stayed under the radar. This situation is true despite the fact that many fortifications hardly ever saw any real military action. For instance, those at Pompeii were only involved in military activity once throughout the span of their history. On a daily basis, the walls of a city functioned largely in a peaceful setting. This study is a way to look at fortifications as a civic monument in the same way as other public buildings. Such a study means addressing topics that include patronage, design, upgrades, urban development and what they mean for city walls and the community they protected.
What about walls or fortifications drew you to this research? How does it fit into your wider research agenda?
In the broader scope of my research, I look at the genesis of communities and the development of identities over time. Looking at the development of a single monument that encompassed a community and symbolically defined its limits was a natural departure point to seek answers to the question. This curiosity also stems in part from personal memories where as a child one of the first major political events I remember was the fall of the Berlin wall. The socio political shifts associated with its construction and downfall as well as all the recent political talk on borders and boundaries defining national identity are topics that must have influenced the genesis of urban communities in antiquity.
How does this research correspond with your position at Oplontis?
Oplontis is a wonderful opportunity for me to get to grips with the socio economic development of Pompeii. The two complexes we work on –a luxury villa and a small settlement—in the suburbs of Pompeii are part of two major shifts in the history of Pompeii. The small settlement developed during the high point of independent Samnite Pompeii in the second century BC when the city developed largely into what we see today. The villa developed in the mid first century BC when Pompeii lost its independence and became a Roman colony. These cultural shifts find a correspondence in the archaeology we are investigating as a team at the Project and in my research on the Pompeian fortifications.
How has your experience in the Department of Art & Art History shaped your research and career?
The department, and in particular CSAI and my advisors, have been an inexhaustible source of support, both in steering my research and coaching for my future career. This continuous support enabled me to formulate my research questions and to travel to the various locations to develop my thesis further. After my defense, this support continued with conversations on how to develop the book further and continue to work with the Oplontis project as part of my research trajectory.