Did the ancient Roman city have systematic provisions for the disposal of refuse? This talk, confronting the prevailing notion that it did not, explores how waste management strategies can be read in the archaeological record. It introduces extramural dumps and examines waste deposits found within the city, explaining how they arrived there, why they are present, and what interpretive challenges they hold for the archaeologist. Urban waste, Kevin Dicus shows, was carefully curated, a tool used for the development of the urban fabric.

Dicus is the Andrew Heiskell Rome Prize Fellow in Ancient Studies at the American Academy in Rome and assistant professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Oregon.

The shoptalk will be held in English. You can watch this event live at https://livestream.com/aarome.