Venus Pompeiana Project
A new gift fund has been established for the Venus Pompeiana Project (VPP), a collaboration between the University of Missouri-Columbia and Mount Allison University (Canada), launched in 2017 under the auspices of the Pompeii Archaeological Park and led by Prof. Mogetta.
VPP aims to resume study of the Sanctuary of Venus at Pompeii, integrating the results of past fieldwork (most recently between 2004 and 2007) with new targeted excavations in order to answer crucial questions about the building phases and cultural meaning of the temple dedicated to Pompeii’s patron deity. VPP has received funding from the AIA Cotsen Fund, MU Research Council and the Canadian government to carry out the systematic digital survey of the monument and an analysis of its stratigraphy. The focus is on the transition from the Late Samnite period (3rd-2nd century BCE) and the foundation of the Roman colony. The goal is to assess the impact of the Roman conquest on the local religious landscape, charting the spatial transformations of the neighborhood occupied by the precinct through the ages, eventually bringing this important monument to public fruition.
Donors can support this research by MU archaeologists, graduate, and undergraduate students, both at the site and in the off-season. Please click here to donate to the fund through Mizzou Give Direct. If you prefer to send a check, please make it to the University of Missouri, referencing either “Venus Pompeiana Proj – Mogetta” or MoCode F5033 to ensure your donation is accurately recorded in this gift fund, and mail to the Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies,112 Swallow Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.
To learn more about the first three seasons of work at the site: https://www.archaeological.org/interactive-dig/pompeii-italy/