Resurrecting Refuse at Pompeii: The Use-Value of Urban Refuse and Its Implications for Interpreting Archaeological Assemblages

Dr. Kevin Dicus
Case Western Reserve University

Refuse deposits are the most commonly excavated assemblages in Pompeii, but little is understood about how the ancient Romans managed or thought of their waste. This lecture examines refuse deposits in the archaeological record at Pompeii and the formation processes involved in their depositions. I argue that refuse retained a real use value and was not, as today, meant to be separated permanently from the behavioral system as a collection of “dead” objects. Refuse was instead reclaimed and reused, re-entering the fabric of the city. Consequently, many assemblages recovered within the city bear no relationship to the function of the spaces in which they are found. Great care must be taken, then, to understand, first, the formation process of the assemblages so that we can understand, second, how to read them.