Wooden Furniture in Herculaneum: Form, Technique and Function

Description

This study presents an overview of the wooden furniture that has come to light since the rediscovery of Herculaneum in the 18th century, with an emphasis on the form, function and the techniques employed. The combination of comments in the excavation reports with the information derived from the surviving pieces of furniture and fittings made of other materials as well as indications for the presence of furniture in the architecture and decoration of the houses, offers a representative idea of the role of wooden furniture in the interior arrangements of the houses at Herculaneum. Foreword Contents INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: GENERAL FRAMEWORK 1.1 Definition 1.2 Wood as a category of archaeological find 1.3 Research into furniture from antiquity 1.4 The wooden furniture from Herculaneum in the archaeological literature 1.5 Aims and lines of enquiry 1.6 Sources for our knowledge of Roman furniture 1.7 Geographical and chronological parameters 1.8 'Nachleben' CHAPTER 2: CARBONIZATION, EXCAVATION AND PRESERVATION 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Theories about the carbonization of wood in Herculaneum 2.3 Complications in the preservation of wood in Herculaneum 2.4 The history of the excavations 2.5 The find spots of the preserved furniture 2.6 Modem treatment of the furniture: preservation, reconstructions and additions 2.7 The current situation of the furniture: location and state of preservation 2.8 The representative value of the material 2.9 Conclusion CHAPTER 3: FORM 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Beds and couches 3.2.1 Beds/couches with boards 3.2.2 Biclinia 3.2.3 Children's beds 3.3 Tables 3.4 Seating 3.4.1 Benches 3.4.2 Stool 3.5 Storage furniture 3.5.1 Cupboards 3.5.2 Aediculae 3.5.3 Racks 3.5.4 Chest 3.6 The library of the Villa dei papiri 3.7 Formal similarities 3.8 Conclusion CHAPTER 4: MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES 4.1 Introduction 4.2 The historical background 4.2.1 Egypt 4.2.2 Greece 4.2.3 The Apennine peninsula 4.2.4 The Celts 4.3 The written sources for woodworking in the Roman period 4.4 Types of wood 4.4.1 Literary and epigraphical sources 4.4.2 Analyses of samples from Herculaneum 4.4.3 Conclusion 4.5 Tools for cabinetmaking 4.6 Cabinetmaking 4.6.1 Sources 4.6.2 Woodwork joints 4.6.3 Gluing 4.6.4 Turning 4.6.5 Carving and inlay 4.6.6 Veneer and 'wood mosaic' 4.6.7 Wickerwork 4.6.8 Finishes 4.7 The use of materials other than wood 4.7.1 Bronze and iron 4.7.2 Bone and ivory 4.7.3 Precious metals, glass, alabaster 4.8 Reconstruction of the working process 4.9 Organisation of the trade 4.10 Conclusion CHAPTER 5: FUNCTION 5.1 Introduction 5.2 The Roman household 5.3 The internal division of the Roman house 5.4 The houses in Herculaneum 5.5 The furniture 5.5.1 Beds and couches 5.5.2 Tables 5.5.3 Seating 5.5.4 Storage furniture 5.6 Functional categories 5.7 Furniture as evidence for the internal division of houses 5.8 Conclusion CATALOGUE: THE WOODEN FURNITURE FROM HERCULANEUM Beds and couches Tables Seating Storage furniture APPENDICES 1 Archive material and publications (1740-1982) - Eighteenth century - Nineteenth century - Twentieth century 2 Unidentified fragments 3 Casts of wooden furniture in Pompeii SUMMARY BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX OF ANTIQUE AUTHORS INDEX OF PERSONS, SUBJECTS, PLACES AND MUSEA LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATIONS