VI.15.6 Pompeii. Domus of A. Caesius Valens and N. Herrenius Nardus
or Casa del Focolare di ferro or
Casa del Forno di ferro.
Excavated 1895.
Part 3 Part 4 Part 1
Part 2 Plan
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 8, exedra. Looking south.
According to NdS –
the entrance doorway of this room would have had doorjambs faced with timber on the side turned into the room.
The walls were simply decorated with a white background.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 8, west wall of exedra, with doorway under the stairs.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 9, small room under the stairs.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 9, doorway and west wall of room 8.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 9, west wall.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 9, north wall with niche.
According to Boyce, in a little room on the south side of the house, is an arched niche in the north wall.
It has white inside walls and projecting floor.
Just above the shrine were the marks made where some twenty-five nails had been driven into the wall.
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1897, 31.
See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus
of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome:
MAAR 14. (p.55, no.213)
See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni. (p.291)
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 9, niche on north wall.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 9, east wall with remains of decorated plaster.
According to NdS, to the right of the entrance doorway on the red stripe of the dado, an epigraph could be read.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. Graffito copied from east wall under the staircase.
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, January 1897, (p.31)
According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) this read
Cornelia Hele[na]
amatur ab
Rufo [CIL IV 4637]
According to Varone, this was inscribed in the doorway under the stairs, and translated as –
“Cornelia Helena is loved by Rufus”. (CIL IV 4637)
Varone thought it was possible that the Rufus of the inscription was the magistrate M. Pupius Rufus, who probably lived in the adjacent house at VI.15.5.
See Varone, A., 2002. Erotica Pompeiana: Love Inscriptions on the Walls of Pompeii, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider. (p.44)
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking north from exedra, room 8.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 10, corridor leading north.
According to NdS, the corridor had a floor of crushed brick strewn with flakes of various coloured marble.
The walls were decorated with a black background, partitioned in panels.
In the central panel on the west wall was a painting, but only the lower part remained.
In the middle of the painting could be seen a throne with golden feet, and on which was a male figure, sitting turned to the left.
Only his legs remained, covered with a mantle of red-cinnabar.
His sandaled feet were resting on a panther or tiger, lying on the ground.
Nearby, and perhaps leaning on one of the arms of the throne, was a club.
Sogliano thought there was not enough remaining to identify the painting.
In the middle of the panel on the east wall, a flying swan with the usual ribbon in its beak, could be seen.
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, January 1897, (p.32)
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 10, remains of flooring in corridor.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 10, corridor, remains of floor.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 10, remains of step in corridor.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking north to doorway of room 11.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 11, storeroom. Looking north.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 11, storeroom. North wall and north-west corner, with remains of bench?
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 11, east wall of storeroom.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 11, south wall of storeroom.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 12, small room.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 13, kitchen or small courtyard. Looking south-east.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 13, kitchen area with niche in east wall.
According to Giacobello, the niche lararium was discovered on the north wall of the kitchen.
The kitchen was in an uncovered courtyard, also located there was the latrine.
See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni. (p.182).
VI.15.6 Pompeii. Pre-1937-39. Room 13, looking towards east wall in kitchen with niche.
Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 1932
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 14, latrine, in north-east corner of kitchen or courtyard.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. July 2008. Looking north in latrine. Photo courtesy of Barry Hobson.
VI.15.6 Pompeii.
March 2009. Room 14, latrine.
VI.15.6 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 14, north wall of latrine.