Ancient conservation of Pompeian first style paintings

This dissertation presents archaeometric pigment analyses of Pompeian First Style wall paintings in order to examine ancient conservation practices. Pompeian First Style wall paintings have historically been overlooked in the scholarship, resulting in the outdated view that they are simply indicators of a ‘Samnite' ethnic identity or ‘lower quality' imitations of the Greek Masonry Style. Pointing out the fallacies in arguing for ‘ethic' identity in Pompeii and the inherent assumption that wall paintings surviving until 79 CE had static meanings, I suggest instead that Pompeian First Style wall paintings must be approached using a spectrum of retention framework, focusing on ancient conservation evidence to identify unique phases of decorative activity. The First Style has also been excluded from archaeometric investigations at Pompeii, making this dissertation the first archaeometric study of the Pompeian First Style in domestic contexts, and the first archaeometric pigment analysis specifically dedicated to the Pompeian First Style as a whole. The analysis concentrates on three case study houses from Pompeii: the Casa della Nave Europa (I.15.3), the Casa del Fauno (VI.12.2/5), and the Casa di Orione (V.2). Attention is paid to confirmed or suspected areas of ancient conservation of the Pompeian First Style, using a series of qualitative and semi-quantitative archaeometric techniques: portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF), Raman Spectroscopy (RS), Digital Microscopy (DM), and Colorimetry. This dissertation demonstrates the viability of pigment analyses for studying phases of ancient conservation activity. The ongoing ancient conservation of these paintings appears to be a heterogeneous spectrum of engagement, often linked to an ‘authority of place' or economic considerations. Further case studies at Pompeii and Herculaneum would provide more insight on any broader patterns of conservation.