Pompeii & Herculaneum archaeological sites: conservation and management

This first part of the paper begins with an historical overview of the development of Pompeii and Herculaneum as an archaeological site and heritage attraction, providing an insight concerning the culture and nature of these ancient citiesduring theRoman period. A focus will be given on the context of these rediscoveries, and their impact within Italy and around the world and most importantly who owned, managed, and/or visited the sites throughout their history.The paper also looks at how the ideas about thefame of Pompeii affects tourism, management, and the creation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The conclusion compares the potential of the recent public/private partnership initiative at Herculaneum ‘The Herculaneum Conservation Project’and the latest fully public funded project at Pompeii ‘The Great Project Pompeii’.