The Italian Cultural Institute in Haifa
is pleased to invite you to the first lecture in the series:
Treasures and celebrations of the Gulf of Naples: Art and Culture from Naples to Pompeii
NAPLES: FROM ITS GREEK ORIGINS TO THE ROMAN CITY
Presents Dr. Hamutal Suliman-Wolf, researcher at
the University of Haifa, Department of Art History
Tuesday, 13 January 2026, @ 18:00
ONLINE | Webex & YouTube
Free event, in Hebrew.
To book and receive the link for the Webex meeting, please fill in the REGISTRATION FORM
In this talk, we will trace Naples’ Greek origins and its transformation into a Roman city, from the 8th century BCE—with the founding of Parthenope by Greek settlers from nearby Cumae—to the 6th century BCE, when the city was refounded as Neapolis (“new city”), destined to become one of the most important centers of Magna Graecia.
We will examine the role of the region’s Greek colonies, which evolved into commercial and cultural hubs linking the motherland with the communities of southern Italy, and into key channels for the spread of Greek culture across the peninsula. Drawing on archaeological finds and material evidence, we will highlight the impact of these settlements on daily life, culture, and the arts of local populations up to the Roman conquest.
- FREE admission. Online event, in Hebrew.
- To receive the link for the Webex meeting, please fill in the REGISTRATION FORM.
As an alternative, you may follow this lecture online via:
The series | The history of the Neapolitan region reaches back to before the 8th century BCE, when merchants from Asia Minor and Greece used the gulf as a key hub in their trading networks. The settlement of Naples, or Neapolis, was founded at the end of the 6th century BCE by aristocrats exiled from Cumae, and it quickly became one of the major centers of Magna Graecia and, more broadly, of southern Italy. The city continued to thrive and expand under Roman rule as well: Rome regarded it as a model of high Hellenistic culture and allowed its inhabitants to preserve the Greek language and customs. The Gulf of Naples thus stands out as a true crossroads of ancient peoples and cultures, which has bequeathed to us an outstanding heritage—archaeological remains, monumental architecture, vividly colored frescoes, and an extraordinary wealth of works of art.
Free event, in Hebrew.