43 of 43 sessions
Day
Topic
Track
Format
Location

Opening address: what this forum is for

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 10:20 AMOuter Peristyle
GovernanceKeynoteOuter Peristyle
Tullia Ciceronis, Programme chair, Cicero Forum

A short welcome from the programme chair: why these four tracks, what the committee looked for in a proposal, and what the two days are meant to leave the room…

Scaling fire brigade response times beyond one city

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 10:30 AMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Calpurnia Domitilla, Military engineer, Via Appia Commission

An argument, with evidence, about fire brigade response times. Assumes you have done this before and are tired of the usual advice.

Measuring granary pest control without guesswork

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 10:30 AMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Quintus Calpurnius Caepio, Cartographer, Ostia Harbour Authority

A field report on what actually changed in granary pest control. You should leave with a checklist you can use next week.

Building public trust without holding office

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 10:30 AM – 11:15 AMOuter Peristyle
GovernanceKeynoteOuter Peristyle
Cornelia Africana, Civic patron and educator, Rome

A practical account of building legitimacy through education, patronage, and visible public service when formal authority belongs to someone else.

The hidden cost of coin die wear

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 10:30 AM – 11:00 AMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Cassia Drusilla, Legal advocate, Rhetoric School of Rhodes

Three years of measurements on coin die wear. The method is boring on purpose; that is the point.

Rebuilding legionary field hospitals after a failure

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 10:30 AM – 11:00 AMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Titus Cassius Celsus, Census clerk, Aqueduct Commission

A postmortem on legionary field hospitals. Aimed at people who have to make this decision with an incomplete budget.

Who actually owns ferry timetables

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 11:30 AMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Claudia Fausta, Medical practitioner, Guild of Shipwrights

Hard numbers, and some honest failures, from ferry timetables. Expect specifics rather than principles.

Automating the tedious parts of boundary dispute mediation

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 11:30 AMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Tiberius Claudius Cinna, Grain supply administrator, Library of Alexandria

What the records show about boundary dispute mediation. Every claim here is one you can check against the public record.

When sewer inspection access meets a shrinking budget

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 12:00 PMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Cornelia Flaccilla, Harbour master, Grain Board

The cheapest reliable approach we have found to sewer inspection access. Includes the numbers, the sources, and the parts that did not work.

Teaching timber seasoning to people who just arrived

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 12:00 PMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Sextus Cornelius Cotta, Provincial administrator, Provincial Assembly of Baetica

A working method for timber seasoning. Bring your own constraints and we will work through them.

Keeping an aqueduct running for a million people

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 12:00 PM – 12:30 PMBasilica Gallery
InfrastructureTalkhistorical case studyBasilica Gallery
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, Architect and engineer, Office of Public Works

The design and maintenance choices that keep a gravity-fed water network reliable as a city grows, from gradients and settling tanks to inspection access and re…

The case against how we do olive press throughput

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 12:00 PM – 12:30 PMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Curtia Galeria, Public works surveyor, Treasury of Saturn

An argument, with evidence, about olive press throughput. Assumes you have done this before and are tired of the usual advice.

Lessons from ten years of letter courier routing

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 12:00 PM – 12:30 PMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Aulus Curtius Crassus, Mint superintendent, Census Office

A field report on what actually changed in letter courier routing. You should leave with a checklist you can use next week.

What we got wrong about mosaic workshop scheduling

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 12:30 PM – 1:00 PMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Decia Gratiana, Treasury auditor, Office of Public Works

Three years of measurements on mosaic workshop scheduling. The method is boring on purpose; that is the point.

A practical guide to amphitheatre crowd flow

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 12:30 PM – 1:00 PMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Decimus Decius Crispus, Aqueduct engineer, Public Libraries

A postmortem on amphitheatre crowd flow. Aimed at people who have to make this decision with an incomplete budget.

Scaling lighthouse keeping rotas beyond one city

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 2:00 PM – 2:30 PMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Domitia Hostilia, Rhetoric instructor, Colonia Narbo Martius

Hard numbers, and some honest failures, from lighthouse keeping rotas. Expect specifics rather than principles.

Measuring well drilling records without guesswork

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 2:00 PM – 2:30 PMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Gnaeus Domitius Dentatus, Road commissioner, Legion Engineering Corps

What the records show about well drilling records. Every claim here is one you can check against the public record.

An archive that outlives its builders

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 2:30 PM – 3:00 PMBasilica Gallery
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkBasilica Gallery
Marcus Terentius Varro, Scholar and archivist, Public Libraries

A tour of the classification rules, cross-references, and copying practices that let a large public archive remain useful across generations of librarians.

The hidden cost of milestone placement

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 2:30 PM – 3:00 PMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Duilia Justina, Master shipwright, Via Appia Commission

The cheapest reliable approach we have found to milestone placement. Includes the numbers, the sources, and the parts that did not work.

Rebuilding ration accounting after a failure

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 2:30 PM – 3:00 PMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Spurius Duilius Drusus, Archive keeper, Ostia Harbour Authority

A working method for ration accounting. Bring your own constraints and we will work through them.

Who actually owns shipwreck salvage

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 3:00 PM – 3:30 PMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Fabia Lepida, Military engineer, Rhetoric School of Rhodes

An argument, with evidence, about shipwreck salvage. Assumes you have done this before and are tired of the usual advice.

Automating the tedious parts of contract arbitration

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 3:00 PM – 3:30 PMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Manius Fabius Faustus, Cartographer, Aqueduct Commission

A field report on what actually changed in contract arbitration. You should leave with a checklist you can use next week.

Planning a city that can survive a siege

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 3:30 PM – 5:00 PMVilla Workshop
Logistics & OperationsWorkshopneeds A/V checkVilla Workshop
Servilia Caepionis, Political strategist, Servilian HouseMarcus Vitruvius Pollio, Architect and engineer, Office of Public Works

A hands-on planning exercise covering water, grain, communications, and political alliances when every normal route into the city may be cut off.

When stone transport barges meets a shrinking budget

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 3:30 PM – 4:00 PMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Flavia Longina, Legal advocate, Guild of Shipwrights

Three years of measurements on stone transport barges. The method is boring on purpose; that is the point.

Teaching aqueduct settling tanks to people who just arrived

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 3:30 PM – 4:00 PMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Servius Flavius Flaccus, Census clerk, Library of Alexandria

A postmortem on aqueduct settling tanks. Aimed at people who have to make this decision with an incomplete budget.

The case against how we do street lighting trials

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 4:00 PM – 4:30 PMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Fulvia Lucilla, Medical practitioner, Grain Board

Hard numbers, and some honest failures, from street lighting trials. Expect specifics rather than principles.

Lessons from ten years of market weights and measures

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 4:00 PM – 4:30 PMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Appius Fulvius Galba, Grain supply administrator, Provincial Assembly of Baetica

What the records show about market weights and measures. Every claim here is one you can check against the public record.

What we got wrong about garrison supply forecasting

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 4:30 PM – 5:00 PMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Furia Marcella, Harbour master, Treasury of Saturn

The cheapest reliable approach we have found to garrison supply forecasting. Includes the numbers, the sources, and the parts that did not work.

A practical guide to drainage in reclaimed marsh

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 4:30 PM – 5:00 PMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Numerius Furius Gracchus, Provincial administrator, Census Office

A working method for drainage in reclaimed marsh. Bring your own constraints and we will work through them.

Scaling public notice boards beyond one city

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 5:00 PM – 5:30 PMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Gellia Marciana, Public works surveyor, Office of Public Works

An argument, with evidence, about public notice boards. Assumes you have done this before and are tired of the usual advice.

The hidden cost of aqueduct maintenance

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 5:00 PM – 5:30 PMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Vibius Gellius Longinus, Mint superintendent, Public Libraries

A field report on what actually changed in aqueduct maintenance. You should leave with a checklist you can use next week.

Rebuilding grain convoy scheduling after a failure

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 5:30 PM – 6:00 PMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Horatia Matidia, Treasury auditor, Colonia Narbo Martius

Three years of measurements on grain convoy scheduling. The method is boring on purpose; that is the point.

Who actually owns road survey tolerances

Monday, September 28, 2026 · 5:30 PM – 6:00 PMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Gaius Horatius Lupus, Aqueduct engineer, Legion Engineering Corps

A postmortem on road survey tolerances. Aimed at people who have to make this decision with an incomplete budget.

Automating the tedious parts of harbour dredging

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 10:30 AMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Hostilia Maxima, Rhetoric instructor, Via Appia Commission

Hard numbers, and some honest failures, from harbour dredging. Expect specifics rather than principles.

When census data quality meets a shrinking budget

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 10:30 AMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Lucius Hostilius Macer, Road commissioner, Ostia Harbour Authority

What the records show about census data quality. Every claim here is one you can check against the public record.

Teaching court calendar backlogs to people who just arrived

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 10:30 AM – 11:00 AMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Julia Messalina, Master shipwright, Rhetoric School of Rhodes

The cheapest reliable approach we have found to court calendar backlogs. Includes the numbers, the sources, and the parts that did not work.

The case against how we do apprenticeship pipelines

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 10:30 AM – 11:00 AMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Marcus Julius Magnus, Archive keeper, Aqueduct Commission

A working method for apprenticeship pipelines. Bring your own constraints and we will work through them.

Capturing every word without slowing the room

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 11:30 AMOuter Peristyle
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkfirst-time speakerOuter Peristyle
Marcus Tullius Tiro, Secretary and author, House of Cicero

How a shorthand system can preserve fast-moving debate accurately, remain readable to other scribes, and become a durable record after the meeting ends.

Lessons from ten years of concrete curing in winter

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 11:30 AMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Junia Nigrina, Military engineer, Guild of Shipwrights

An argument, with evidence, about concrete curing in winter. Assumes you have done this before and are tired of the usual advice.

What we got wrong about provincial tax appeals

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 11:30 AMAtrium Studio
InfrastructureTalkAtrium Studio
Publius Junius Marcellus, Cartographer, Library of Alexandria

A field report on what actually changed in provincial tax appeals. You should leave with a checklist you can use next week.

A practical guide to archive indexing

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 12:00 PMEast Garden Room
GovernanceTalkEast Garden Room
Licinia Paulina, Legal advocate, Grain Board

Three years of measurements on archive indexing. The method is boring on purpose; that is the point.

Scaling signal relay latency beyond one city

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 12:00 PMAtrium Studio
Knowledge & CommunicationTalkAtrium Studio
Quintus Licinius Maximus, Census clerk, Provincial Assembly of Baetica

A postmortem on signal relay latency. Aimed at people who have to make this decision with an incomplete budget.

Measuring bridge load testing without guesswork

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 · 12:00 PM – 12:30 PMEast Garden Room
Logistics & OperationsTalkEast Garden Room
Livia Plancina, Medical practitioner, Treasury of Saturn

Hard numbers, and some honest failures, from bridge load testing. Expect specifics rather than principles.