The Oplontis Project
The Oplontis Project’s mission is to conduct a multidisciplinary and systematic study of Villa A (Villa di Poppaea) at Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Italy). Under the direction of John R. Clarke and Michael L. Thomas of the University of Texas at Austin, and in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei, an international team of scholars will partner to produce the definitive monograph on the villa. This born-digital publication will be accompanied by a fully navigable 3-D model and a comprehensive database. Beginning in 2012, the Oplontis Project will begin study of Villa B.
The Mugello Valley Archaeological Project
The research design of The Mugello Valley Archaeological Project and Poggio Colla Field School combines excavation, land survey, and archaeometry as part of an interdisciplinary regional landscape analysis of the Etruscan site of Poggio Colla and the surrounding area. Directed by Greg Warden and Michael Thomas, the project seeks to contribute significantly to our understanding of Etruscan culture and to educate through a broad and innovative curriculum a new generation of archaeologists in the practice and theory of settlement archaeology. Through timely publication and a broad program of education and outreach the project will explicate and increase awareness of the ethical management of an endangered cultural heritage.