In LA – visit Herculaneum for the price of parking

Getty Conservation Institute staff document the wall paintings in the tablinum (reception room) of the Casa del Bicentenario, Herculaneum, Italy. The information gathered, along with other data, will be used to develop a conservation plan. Photo: Scott S. Warren © J. Paul Getty Trust

For the price of parking (!) you can “travel” to Herculaneum.  Wednesday, January 16, 2013:

Archaeologist Andrew Wallace-Hadrill speak about the challenges, successes, and new discoveries over the last ten years at the ancient site of Herculaneum in the Bay of Naples due to the efforts of the Herculaneum Conservation Project, an initiative funded by the Packard Humanities Institute. Wallace-Hadrill discusses resolving some of the major infrastructural problems crucial to conserving the site, especially those of roofing and drainage, and the ways the site continues to serve as an open laboratory for investigating conservation challenges, often in collaboration with partners like theGetty Conservation Institute. The project has generated major new discoveries as well, including contents of a sewer that provide insights into Roman diet, and an exceptional timber roof with a decorated ceiling.

Here’s the link for tickets and more information.