The project was started in the spring of 2002 with a long planning phase during which the methods employed were studied and designed. The work consists of many parts: buildings archaeological documentation, excavation, wall painting documentation, surveying and photogrammetrical documentation. In addition, archives in Pompeii, Naples and elsewhere are studied in order to find data concerning the old excavations and their results in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The project’s first field work area is the largest of all the 18 buildings of the insula, the House of Marcus Lucretius (IX 3,5/24). It was selected for its large size and for the demands its documentation presented to the team’s composition. Unlike in most other buildings of the insula, the House of Marcus Lucretius has many fairly well-preserved wall paintings, whose analysis and documentation require different techniques and knowledge than the usual buildings archaeology and excavation. Thus, in the first stage of the project, the team’s members represent the most varied fields of expertize.

Progress through the House of Marcus LUcretius in the first phase: 2002 in yellow, 2003 in green, 2004 in yellow, 2005 in red and 2006 in purple.

In the fall of 2002, a two-week field season was held in order to test the chosen methods. One-month long field seasons were conducted from 2003 through to 2006 conducting work in the all the major fields. Main surveying work on the ground plan as well as archaeological work in the House of Marcus Lucretius were finished according to plans in 2005.  Finds processing of the excavations was done in 2006 and 2007. The project returned to the insula to continue its work in the spring of 2009. This time the main emphasis was on finishing the buildings archaeological and wall painting documentation of the insula. This work continued until the fall of 2012 when the last field work was conducted.

Acceleration in the second phase: 2002-2009 in yellow, 2010 in green, 2011 in red and 2012 in blue.

After the House of Marcus Lucretius the work continued in the northwestern part of the insula which was finished in 2009. The shops and workshops in the western and southwestern parts were studied in 2010. The field season 2011 concentrated on the houses in the southern part of the insula. The last work was conducted in the eastern part of the city block.