Of all the debates in ancient history, that of assessing the economic performance of cities is one of the most lively. Was the ancient city only or mainly the place where wealthy landowners came to spend their land rent, or were there cities that produced and exported their products ? What were these products, and how could we separate those intended for local consumption from those that might have been exported ?
Archaeology provides a partial answer to this question when cities are fairly well known. Pompeii is highly emblematic in this respect, and was chosen as the subject of study for two reasons. On the one hand, this city, buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD, should provide a picture of economic activity in a medium-sized Italian town during the period of economic prosperity that characterized the second half of the I century. On the other hand, the state of preservation of the remains is generally good enough to characterize all types of craftsmanship and to define interpretative models that can be used elsewhere. However, the site is not easily exploitable by research for three reasons. Firstly, the site is not as well preserved as we think : shortly after the eruption, the Romans returned to excavate the ruins, particularly in the forum area, and salvaged all possible materials (marble, metals). Secondly, the site was excavated at an early date, too quickly, without method, and without the remains being properly interpreted, described and drawn or photographed.
The result is many uncertainties and errors. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century excavators focused on the works of art; everything else was at best neglected, sometimes destroyed, such as the lead pipes and boilers that were melted down as work progressed. Thirdly, the excavations focused mainly on the inner city : very little is known about the outskirts, with the exception of the suburb west of the Porta Ercolano. The economic expansion of the 1st century led to the relocation outside the city of the most important and polluting craftsmen, notably potters and metalworkers. This out-of-town expansion therefore largely escaped archaeological interpretation. Work carried out by the Centre Jean Bérard (EFR-CNRSUMS 3133) since 2000 has helped to clarify the organization and chronology of several craft industries, ranging from textiles and foodstuffs to perfume manufacturing and hide tanning.