IX.9.4 Pompeii. Workshop dwelling.
Linked to IX.9.3 and IX.9.5. Excavated 1886.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. October
2023. Entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2005. Entrance doorway, with travertine threshold.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2006. Entrance, looking south along east wall of vestibule and fauces.
This entrance doorway was described as having a travertine threshold.
The flooring was of opus signinum and sloped down towards the Via di Nola.
The walls of the entrance corridor were painted red.
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1888, p.515.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2006. Looking south across atrium “b” with doorway to garden in centre, at rear of tablinum, room “f”.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2006. Looking east to two doorways to small room “d”, which had contained the steps to upper floor.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2006.
Small room “d” on east side of atrium, the line of the steps can be seen on the rear east wall, (top left).
IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2006. East side of atrium, with doorway to room “e”, ala, (centre left).
IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2006. South-east corner of atrium, with south wall of ala, on left.
The doorway to triclinium, room ‘g’, with window onto the garden is in the centre.
The tablinum, room “f”, with window and doorway onto the garden at the rear, on the right.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. 1961. Looking south from atrium. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.
Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.
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IX.9.4 Pompeii. May 2006.
Looking south across atrium, with doorway to room ‘g’, triclinium, left of centre, and doorway from room ‘f’, tablinum to garden.
According to Boyce –
In the north wall of the portico which looks out onto the garden from the north side, is a vaulted niche (h.0.40, w.0.40, d.0.12, h. above floor 1.60) – probably the lararium, according to Mau. On the ground before it lies a cube of travertine (0.24) which may have served as altar.
See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.91, no.455).
Near the west wall of the garden, opposite the masonry triclinium, stands a small masonry altar (0.43 by 0.37 at the bottom) coated with stucco.
He references – Not. Scavi, 1888, 516.
See
Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia
of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.91, no.456).
IX.9.4 Pompeii. 1961. Looking south-east across garden towards IX.9.6. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.
The doorway to the latrine on the south side of the garden, is on the right.
Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.
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According to Jashemski –
“Attached to the east wall was a masonry triclinium, now destroyed, unlike the majority at Pompeii for the lectus summus was longer than the lectus imus.
The rectangular table between the couches was covered with a piece of white marble. The couches were finished with red stucco.
Near the west wall of the garden, opposite the triclinium, was a small masonry pulvinate altar.
Nearby, attached to the west wall was a masonry hearth, protected by a small vault.”
See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.246).
According to
Soprano –
“Il triclinio era
addossato al muro orientale del giardino. Eccezionalmente ha il l. summus
piu lungo del l. imus, il che si verifica a Pompei, come ho
precedentemente notato, solo in un altro case (see I.8.8/9).
Il piano dei tre
letti era inclinato; sul muro di fronte era situato un larario rivestito di
stucco attualmente distrutto e, a breve distanza, in un angolo del giardino,
stava un piccolo focolare protetto da una volticina.
La mensa,
rettangolare, era ricoperta da una lastra di marmo bianco. I tre letti, il muro
cui era addossato il l.medius e la mensa erano rivestiti di intonaco
rosso, ma di esso non restano oggi che piccole tracce lungo le pareti interne
dei tre letti.
IX.9.4 Pompeii. 1888 plan.
The plan also shows IX.9.5 and IX.9.3.
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1888, where it is referred to as IX.7., p.514.
‘a’: Entrance fauces or corridor.
The corridor was between two shops, numbered 3 and 5, communicating with the atrium.
‘b’: Atrium.
This had no impluvium (displuviate), with opus signinum flooring similar to the entrance corridor.
The pilasters at the entrance to the east side of the atrium were entirely red, as were the walls of the entrance corridor.
However, the west wall showed a high black plinth or dado (zoccolo) above which the upper wall was topped with coarse plaster.
There were no rooms on the western side of the atrium, only on its east side.
In the south-east corner of this atrium, many surgical instruments, and a balance with bronze weights were found.
These were locked up in a wooden box which was already ruined when found, see Notizie degli Scavi, 1887, p.413, described as Regio IX, no.7*, house 4.
Also found were a capital, and two column trunks in the process of being worked.
Other capitals, columns and half-columns with blocks of tufa were found in the vicolo on the western side of this insula. (see IX.9.1)
See Notizie degli Scavi, 1888, p. 515-6
‘c’: Cistern Mouth.
At the base of the dividing pilaster between the entrance corridor and the doorway leading to shop number 5, was the mouth of the cistern.
‘d’: Steps leading to the upper rooms.
’e’: Ala.
This had a flooring of signinum, and the walls with a white background.
The plinth or dado (zoccolo) was coloured purple.
In this room, in the panel to the right of the rear wall, a small painting with a representation of fish could have been seen.
‘f’’: Tablinum.
This was opposite the entrance corridor.
The flooring was of signinum, the walls decorated with a black background and a purple coloured plinth or dado.
On the west wall in the middle of the central panel was a painting (0.61m high x 0.50m wide) showing Achilles and Chiron.
See Helbig, W.,
1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel. (n.1291-95)
See Sogliano, A., 1879. Le pitture murali campane scoverte negli anni 1867-79. Napoli: Giannini. (no.571)
The Centaur squatting down on his rear legs, and painted in profile to the right, was teaching the lyre to the young Achilles.
Achilles stood before him, covered in a red cloak. In the background were high cliffs.
On this same wall, in the right-side panel, a piece of beef (?) was painted on a black background.
In the opposite panel of the east wall, two loaves of bread were painted, also on a black background.
The panels were separated by yellow pilasters, topped with yellow masks.
In the south wall was a window overlooking the garden ‘L’ and a doorway to it.
‘g’: Triclinium.
The doorway opened from the atrium, with a large window overlooking the garden.
This room which communicated with the cubiculum, room ‘h’, had flooring of signinum and walls entirely painted in red panels.
Painted in the panels were imaginary animals, while dolphins were painted on the dado.
‘h’: Cubiculum.
This was linked to the triclinium, room ‘g’.
‘i’: Walkway.
This was at northern end of garden, reached from a doorway in the tablinum.
Near the doorway, a terracotta puteal was found.
‘l’, Garden area.
When the garden area was first excavated it was possible to recognise the furrows of the plantings.
Several amphorae were found here, cut off at the top, and containing lime and other construction materials.
An amount of old plaster building debris was discovered in the south-east corner of the garden area.
‘m’: Triclinium.
This was a masonry triclinium, covered by red plaster.
It was leaning against the eastern wall of the garden.
The triclinium table was similarly plastered in red, and with a marble top.
‘n’: Hearth.
A small masonry hearth, protected by a vaulted top, leaning against the west wall.
Nearby was found a masonry “aretta pulvinata”.
‘o’: Rustic room.
This was a rustic room situated on the east side of the garden.
It had two doorways.
The doorway facing west had a masonry seat near it.
The room had a doorway linking it with “apotheca” ‘p’.
‘p’: Storeroom.
This was a small storage room or cupboard, linked to room ‘o’.
‘q’: Latrine.
This latrine was on the south side of the garden area.
‘r’: Kitchen.
This was the kitchen with a hearth and another latrine, on the south side of the garden area.
In the floor was a high masonry collar that formed a type of pan/basin, where lime was found.
Sogliano wrote “What doctor was the inhabitant of the
described house, which was demonstrated clearly by the many surgical
instruments unearthed, as well as the presence of Chiron in the tablinum
painting, this wise Centaur who was an expert in medicine, in music and
gymnastics, which in another Pompeian painting we find associated with the
divinity of health. (See Helbig, W.,
1868. Wandgemälde der vom Vesuv
verschütteten Städte Campaniens. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel. No. 202)”.
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1888,
p.515-6.