Simon John Barker

Simon J. Barker BA, MA, DPhil (Oxon) - Curriculum Vitae
Employment:
2015: Associate Lecturer in Roman Archaeology, Department of History, Classics and
Archaeology, Birkbeck, University of London.
2011-15: Undergraduate tutorial teaching for Hertford, Lincoln and Somerville Colleges,
University of Oxford.
Qualifications:
2005-12: DPhil Classical Archaeology, University of Oxford: with a thesis entitled Demolition,
Salvage and Re-use in the City of Rome, 100 BC – AD 315. Supervised by Dr. Janet
DeLaine and examined by Prof. R. R. R. Smith and Prof. A. Claridge.
2007:
City of Rome Postgraduate Course, British School at Rome.
2004-05: MA Archaeology of Buildings, University of York.
2002-03: BA Archaeology, University of Nottingham: passed with 1st class honours.
Selected Papers:
2015: “The stone décor at the Villa Arianna and Villa San Marco (Castellammare di Stabiae)”,
with J. Clayton Fant, Asmosia XIth International Conference, Split (Croatia), 18–22
May.
2015: “’Alabaster’: Quarrying and Trade in the Roman World. Evidence from Pompeii and
Herculaneum”, with S. Perna, Asmosia XIth International Conference, Split (Croatia),
18–22 May.
2015: ‘Marble in elite domestic décor: the decorative lithic programs of the Villa Arianna and
Villa San Marco (Ancient Stabiae)’, with J. C. Fant, Domestic Contexts in Campania
Session at the Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting, New Orleans, 811 January.
2014: ‘Demolition laws in an archaeological context. Legislation and architectural re-use in
the Roman building industry’, with Yuri Marano, Décor – Linguaggio architettonico
romano, Roma, 21-24 May (Rome, Italy).
2014: ‘Digital Strategies for the Preservation and Publication of Villa A (‘of Poppaea’) at
Oplontis (Torre Annunziata).’ Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research and
Sustainable Conservation: the example of the Vesuvian Area: a workshop, at the 24th
Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (TRAC), Reading (Invited and on behalf of
the Oplontis Project).
2013: ‘Oplontis Villa A: extreme marble décor within an extreme type of dwelling’, with J. C.
Fant, Session IX. Domestic habitats in the classical world. Types, XVIII Congreso
Internacional Arqueologia Clasica (CIAC), Mérida.
Simon J. Barker CV
2013: ‘A street view of the roman marble trade: bars with “crazy paving’ if marble fragments’,
with J. C. Fant and B. Russell, Sessions XI. Artistic and artisanal productions in the
classical world, XVIII Congreso Internacional Arqueologia Clasica (CIAC), Mérida.
2013: ‘Exploring the Economics of Demolition, Salvage and Re-use in the Roman Period’,
Workshop – The recycling of building materials in Late Antiquity: Practice and
Ideology, University of Durham (invited).
2013: ‘Oplontis Villa A: Decorative Lithic Programs at the Cutting Edge of Luxury’, with
Prof. J. C. Fant, at the Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting, Seattle, 36 January.
2012: ‘Sub-elite marble use and re-use at Pompeii and Herculaneum’, with Prof. J. C. Fant and
B. Russell, at ASMOSIA Xth International Conference, Rome.
2012: ‘Ingenuity in Roman recycling: the transformation of marble objects through recarving’, with C. Ward, at ASMOSIA Xth International Conference, Association for
the Study of Marble & Other Stones In Antiquity, Rome, Italy.
2011: ‘Recycling Rome: An introduction to spolia studies,’ Lecture for the Roman Art and
Archaeology series, Department of Classics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
(invited).
2011: ‘The marble-clad bars at Pompeii and Herculaneum’, Lecture for the Pompeii Seminar
Series, Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, University of Birmingham (invited).
2011: ‘Rethinking concepts in spolia: re-use in Rome’s early and late imperial monuments’,
presented at the Colloquium on Recycling in the Roman Empire, Department of
Classics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada (invited).
2010: ‘Labour and Stone-working in the Roman period’, at the Ancient Architectural
Discussion Group, Oxford.
2010: ‘Understanding the economics of second-hand building material: A theoretical
approach’, at the 20th Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (TRAC XX), Oxford.
2010: ‘Salvage and Reuse in Roman Construction, Colloquium Moving Marble, Bricks, and
Mortar: Supplying the Roman Building Industry, at the Archaeological Institute of
America Annual Meeting, 6-8 January, Anaheim, USA (invited).
2009: ‘Stone-working in the Roman period: A comparative study of documentary sources’,
with B. Russell, at Les chantiers de construction de l’Italie et des provinces romaines: 3e
rencontre. L’économie des chantiers, Ecole Normale supérieure, Paris.
2009: ‘Roman Marble Salvaging’, at ASMOSIA IXth International Conference, Tarragona.
2008: ‘Roman builders – pillagers or salvagers? : the economics of deconstruction and reuse’,
at Workshop di Siena, Archeologia della costruzione II, Siena.
2006: ‘Dismantling Ancient Buildings’, at the Ancient Architectural Discussion Group, Oxford.
Posters:
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Simon J. Barker CV
2015: “The marble trade at Pompeii and Herculaneum”, Asmosia XIth International
Conference, Split (Croatia), 18–22 May.
2015: “Archaeometric analyses of white marbles from Villa Arianna (Castellammare di
Stabiae)”, with J. Clayton Fant and L. Lazzarini, Asmosia XIth International
Conference, Split (Croatia), 18–22 May.
2015: “Archaeometric analysis of the alabaster thresholds of Villa A, Oplontis”, with S. Perna,
J. Clayton Fant, L. Lazzarini and Igor Villa, Asmosia XIth International Conference,
Split (Croatia), 18–22 May.
2015: “Resti pavimentali in opus sectile nel tepidarium e nel caldarium di villa arianna a stabaie”,
with P. Gardelli and J. Clayton Fant, XXI Colloquio dell’Associazione Italiana per lo
Studio e la Conservazione del Mosaico (AISCOM), Reggio Emilia, 18-21 March.
2014: ‘The marble-clad bars of Ostia Antica’, with B. Russell and B. Amiet, Ostia antica.
Nuovi studi e confronto delle ricerche e nei quartieri occidentali ", Academia Belgica,
22-24 September (Rome, Italy).
2013: ‘Carving without quarrying: the art of recycling.’ Poster session for Art in the Making:
Carving Stone in the Classical World, at Kings College, London.
2012: ‘Evidence for wooden revetment and lithic decoration in Diaeta 78 at Villa A (“of
Poppaea”) at Torre Annunziata’, with J. R. Clarke, XIIe Colloque de l’association
Internationale pour de la Mosaîque Antique (AIEMA), Venice.
Field Work:
2014-: Caesarea Maritima, Israel: marble specialist, study of marble fragments excavated from
the Promontory Palace on behalf of the Promontory Palace Project, directed by
Kathryn Gleason (Cornell University), Barbara Burrell (University of Cincinnati) and
Ehud Netzer (Hebrew University).
2013-: Vesuvian Area, Italy: co-director, with Prof. J. C. Fant, of Marmo al Mare – Luxury
Marble Decor in the Seaside Dwellings of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae, a study
of the decorative lithic programs in elite houses at Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the
Villas of Ancient Stabiae. 2014 Funding from the Loeb Classical Library Foundation.
2013-: Palace and City Project, Roman imperial palaces on the Palatine, Rome, Italy. Directed
by Natascha Sojc, Leiden University.
2011-15: Villa A, Oplontis, Torre Annunziata, Italy: co-author, with Prof. J. C. Fant, study of
the decorative lithic programs in Villa A on behalf of the Oplontis Project, directed by
John R. Clarke and Michael Thomas, University of Texas.
2011-: Ostia, Italy: stone specialist for the Palazzo Imperiale excavations, directed by Joanne
Spurza. Hunter College, New York.
2009-13: Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia, Italy: supervisor and co-author of the Marble Bars
Project, directed by Prof. J. C. Fant and Ben Russell, a study of the sub-elite marble
usage in the commercial establishments of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia.
Publications:
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Simon J. Barker CV
Forthcoming: with J. C. Fant, ‘Lithic Decoration: sources, styles, repair and spoliation’, in
Villa A (“of Poppaea”) at Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Italy) Volume 2. Editors: John R.
Clarke, Stefano De Caro, and Michael L. Thomas. Publisher: American Council of
Learned Societies.
Forthcoming: with J. C. Fant, D. Attanasio, ‘Stone sources and types: report on provenance
analyses for the lithic elements from Villa A, Oplontis’, Villa A (“of Poppaea”) at
Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Italy) Volume 2. Editors: John R. Clarke, Stefano De Caro,
and Michael L. Thomas. Publisher: American Council of Learned Societies.
Forthcoming: with J. R. Clarke, ‘Reconstructing the decorative program of diaeta 78’, Villa A
(“of Poppaea”) at Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Italy) Volume 2. Editors: John R. Clarke,
Stefano De Caro, and Michael L. Thomas. Publisher: American Council of Learned
Societies.
Forthcoming: ‘Appendix to the decorative program of diaeta 78 chapter: The marble
fragments from diaeta 78’, Villa A (“of Poppaea”) at Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Italy)
Volume 2. Editors: John R. Clarke, Stefano De Caro, and Michael L. Thomas.
Publisher: American Council of Learned Societies.
Forthcoming: ‘The marble pavements and wall revetment of Diaeta 78, Villa A, Oplontis’,
MUSIVA & SECTILIA: An International Journal for the Study of Ancient Pavements
and Wall Revetments in their Decorative and Architectural Context, VIII.
Forthcoming: with C. Ward, ‘Roman stone-carvers and re-carving: ingenuity in recycling,’
ASMOSIA Xth International Conference Proceedings.
Forthcoming: with J. Clayton Fant, ‘Stone in the decorative programs of Villa A (so-called
Villa of Poppaea) at Oplontis,’ ASMOSIA Xth International Conference Proceedings.
Forthcoming: with J. C Fant, C. Ward, ‘Relazione preliminare sulla decorazione marmorea a
Villa Arianna e San Marco, Stabiae,’ Rivista di Studi Pompeiani XXIV.
2015: with J. Clayton Fant ‘The marble décor of Villa A (“of Poppaea) at Oplontis’ Congreso
Internacional Arqueologia Clasica (CIAC), Mérida.
2013: with J. C Fant, C. Ward, B. Amiet ‘The Marmo al Mare Project 2013. Marble décor at
the Roman Villas of Stabiae,’ FOLD&R: the Journal of Fasti On-Line: 298.
http://www.fastionline.org/docs/FOLDER-it-2013-298.pdf
2013: with J. C Fant and B. Russell ‘Sub-elite marble use and re-use at Pompeii and
Herculaneum: the evidence from the bars’, Papers of the British School at Rome 81, 181209.
2012: with B. Russell, ‘Labour figures for Roman stone-working: Pitfalls and potential,’ in S.
Camporeale, H. Dessales and A. Pizzo (eds.), Archeologia della costruzione III, Les
chantiers de construction de l’Italie et des provinces romaines (Madrid and Mérida), 83-94.
2012: ‘Marble salvaging during the Roman period’, in A. Gutiérrez Garcia-M, P. Lapuente
and I. Rodà (eds.) Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone. AMOSIA IX (Tarragona),
22-30.
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Simon J. Barker CV
2011: ‘19th century labour figures for demolition: A theoretical approach to understanding
the economics of reuse’, in B. Russell and D. Filipovic (eds.) Proceedings for Theoretical
Roman Archaeology Conference XX (Oxford), 89-101.
2010: ‘Roman builders – pillagers or salvagers? : the economics of deconstruction and reuse’,
in S. Camporeale, H. Dessales and A. Pizzo (eds.), Arqueología de la Construcción II: Los
processos constructivos en el mundo romano: Italia y provincias occidentales, Anejos de
Archivo Español de Aroueología LVII (Madrid and Mérida), 127-142.
Book Reviews:
2014: ‘Sculptures from the Sanctuary of Pan at Caesarea Philippi (Panias).’ Review of Elise A.
Friedland The Roman Marble Sculptures from the Sanctuary of Pan at Caesarea
Philippi/Panias (Israel) (American Schools of Oriental Research Archaeological
Reports No. 17; American Schools of Oriental Research, Boston 2012). Journal of
Roman Archaeology 27: 870-874.
2015: ‘New approaches to Late Antique Ostia’, Review of Douglas Boin Ostia in Late Antiquity
(Cambridge University Press). American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 119, No. 2
(April 2015):
Published online at www.ajaonline.org/onlinereviewbook/2075
DOI: 10.3764/ajaonline1192.Barker
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