Insula II on Gardens of the Roman Empire

I.2.10 House of L. Vousius Faustus and M. Volusius Faustus

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

The garden at the rear of the house, excavated in 1873, is almost totally destroyed. According to Mau, most of the garden was occupied by a large pool (5m X 2.90m) which was sloped toward the west from where it drained into the street through a pipe. The pool was surrounded by a low wall about 0.55m high leaving only a narrow space between the pool and the walls. In the northwest corner were the two beds of a masonry biclinium which sloped toward the wall, as was customary. Rainwater falling on them was carried away by a terracotta drain which emptied into the pool. A square niche under the north couch provided a storage space. On the wall above this couch was a rectangular niche lararium with a roughly made aedicules facade. At the east end of this couch was a masonry table. Fiorelli reports a planting bed attached to the rear (east) wall. There was a view from the triclinium through the large window in the east wall, across the pool to the garden painting on the rear wall.

When this garden was excavated in 1873, the excavators reported three panels on the east wall with garden paintings. The center panel had a body of water with swimming fish with assorted animals in the background that included a grazing deer and a springing leopard. The two panels on either side each had a large crater-shaped fountain surrounded by thick growth. Large red flowers and yellow apples could be identified to the left of each fountain and the right, pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) Jashemski examined this painting in 1964 to find it had been covered by a growth of ivy which had destroyed most of the painting. A section of a large pomegranate bush was all that was left intact at the time. She describes the leaves, painted in blue-green with darker shading and a few yellow leaves and the fruit, deep yellow with reddish-orange shading, as being rendered in an impressionistic manner. At the right of the entrance to the garden area was a cistern opening.

Bibliography

Boyce, G.K. 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii, p. 22
Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 42 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W.F. 1979, Garden of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius, pp. 110-111 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, p. 22, 313 (worldcat)
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. II, p. 76
Schefold, K. and Dräyer, W. 1956. Pompeji, p. 9 (describes this painting as a paradeisos, with sea, deer, panther, and a nymphaeum)
Sogliano, A. 1879. Le pitture murali campane scoverte negli anni 1867-79, p. 224, no.694 Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p. 11

Keywords

Garden

Garden at the rear of the House of L. Vousius Faustus and M. Volusius Faustus.

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1873. Bombed in 1943.

I.2.15

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

This humble house was excavated in 1873. It had no garden but the impluvium was surrounded by a low masonry wall. The top contained a planting bed which served as a small garden.

Bibliography

Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 42 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, p. 22 (worldcat)
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p. 12
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus

Keywords

impluvia (AAT:300129867)

Garden

Small house with a planting bed around an indoor impluvium.

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1869 and 1873. Bombed in 1943.

I.2.16

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

This house was excavated in 1873. The entranceway led directly to the portico which enclosed the garden on the north and east. In the northwest corner of the portico a masonry aedicula lararium formed an arched niche on top of a solid podium. A low wall connected the columns and pillars of the portico. There was an entrance to the garden on the east side and a gutter along the east and north edges of the garden. A terracotta statuette of a seated old man holding a scroll in his right hand and wearing a short sleeved tunic (0.60 m high; Mus. Naz. Inv. No. 109 622; Ruesh no. 453) served as a fountain. This statue has been variously identified, but most likely was the Greek philosopher Antisthenes (ca. 445-360), a devoted follower of Socrates. A terracotta puteal was also found in the garden.

Bibliography

Boyce, G.K. 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii, p. 22 (worldcat)
Curtius, L. 1994. Miszellen zur Geschichte des greichischen Porträts, RM, p. 38
Dwyer, E.J. 2010. Pompeii's living statues: ancient Roman lives stolen from death, p. 128 (worldcat)
Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 43 (worldcat)
GiornSc, n.s. (1874-77), cols. 46, 177-179 and plate 6
Ippel, A. 1939. Statuetten aus Pompeji. AA, pp. 367-368
Jashemski, W.F. 1979, Garden of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius, pp. 48 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, pp. 22-23 (worldcat)
Kapossy, B. 1969. Brunnenfiguren der hellenistischen und romischen Zeit, Zurich, p. 47 (worldcat)
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. III, plate 12
Pernice, E. and Winter, F. 1925, Gefässe und Geräthe aus BronzeDie Hellenistische Kunst in Pompeii, 5, p. 34
Richter, G. 1960. Greek Portraits, pp. 33-34, fig. 133 (worldcat)
Richter, G. 1984. Portraits of the Greeks, p. 181 and fig. 1056 (worldcat)
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, pp. 12, 79 (worldcat)
Von Rohden, H. and Otto, L. 1880. Terracotten von Pompeji, pp. 21, 44-45 and plate 32 (worldcat)
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus (worldcat)

Keywords

Garden

Peristyle garden with decorative elements.

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1872.

I.2.17

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

A. At the rear of the house was a very small garden entered from the tablinum. Excavated in 1872, much of the garden was occupied by two small raised pools, according to Mau. Attached to the west wall was a masonry pool 0.58 m deep on the inside and 0.73 m high on the outside. The other pool was to the south and there was a garden painting on the rear wall.

B. The peristyle garden to the east of the atrium was excavated in 1873. It had a portico on the north and west supported by two pillars, one at the northwest corner and the other in the middle of the north side. A gutter sloped towards the southeast corner as it went around the east, north, and west edges of the garden. A shrine-like structure was built against the east wall with the marble veneered façade above the level of the floor of the niche. The niche contained a marble statuette of Venus, her left arm supported by a statuette (1.04 m high; Mus Naz. inv. no. 109 608; Ruesch no. 1325). The wall behind the statue was painted to represent blue drapery and the ceiling had a shell-like fluting. Two small marble statuettes of toads (Mus. Nac. inv. no. 109 609, 109 610) found in the garden and probably the one of two doves (Mus. Naz. inv. no. 120 407) found in the tablinum decorated the flowerbeds. There was also a marble head of a man identified as Agrippa, found cemented in a cup (total height 0.285 m; Mus. Nac. inv. no. 109 611; Reusch no. 1081). The marble statuette of Hercules wrapped in a lion skin (0.70 m high; Mus. Nac. inv. no. 109 677) found in the atrium was probably a garden decoration. The large room on the north had a fine view of the garden and the east and south walls of the garden were decorated with garden paintings. These were separated by narrow panels with a painting of a candelabrum, according to Mau, and each painting featured a fence with an amphora upon it. Behind this there was a thicket with birds. On either side of the amphora there was an ibis, and a pheasant in the center. Fiorelli mentioned observing animals in the paintings. Jashemski notes that no trace of the paintings remained when she examined the site; she has never seen a pheasant represented in any garden paintings.

Bibliography

Boyce, G.K. 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii, p. 22 (worldcat)
De Franciscis, A. 1951. Il ritratto romano a Pompei, p. 25 and figs. 10-11 (worldcat)
Dwyer, E.J. 2010. Pompeii's living statues: ancient Roman lives stolen from death, p. 124, 127 (worldcat)
Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 44 (worldcat)
GiornSc, n.s., 1874-1877, 3, cols. 46-47, 48, 55
Grimal, P. 1969. Les jardins romaines, p. 445, no.1
Jashemski, W.F. 1979, Garden of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius, pp. 124-125 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, pp. 23-24, 313 (worldcat)
Mau, A. 1873. BdI, pp. 233-235
Mau, A. 1874. BdI, pp.265-266
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. II, p. 76
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. III, p. 6, plate no.14
Reinach, S. 1904. Répertoire de la Statuaire Grecque et Romaine, p. 378 (worldcat)
Sogliano, A. 1879. Le pitture murali campane scoverte negli anni 1867-79, p. 223, no. 691
Sogliano, A. 1883. Notizie degli Scavi, p. 310
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, pp. 12, 76, no.1, p. 77, nos. 5, 12, p.79, nos. 45, 46 (worldcat)
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus, no. 32 (worldcat)

Keywords

Garden

A small garden with pools to the rear of a domestic property, in addition to one peristyle garden with decorative elements.

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1869.

I.2.20 Caupona of Innulus

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

This small caupona had a garden at the rear with a roofed passageway on the east and the south. It was excavated in 1873 and a masonry biclinium (l. medius, 2.65m.; l. imus 2.94 m.) with a round table (dia. 0.93 m.) was uncovered in the northwest corner and a niche lararium on the north garden wall.

Bibliography

Boyce, G.K. 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii, p. 23, no.13 (worldcat)
Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 45 (worldcat)
GiornSc, n.s., 1874-1877, 3, cols. 47-48
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, p. 24 (worldcat)
Mau, A. 1874. BdI, pp.263
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. II, p. 77
Soprano, P. 1950, 'I triclini all'aperto di Pompei', In Pompeiana, raccolta di studi per il secondo centenario degli scavi di Pompei, Napoli, Gaetano Macchiaroli, Editore, p. 305, no.24
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, pp. 12-13 (worldcat)
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus (worldcat)

Keywords

Garden

Garden serving the Caupona of Innulus.

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1869.

I.2.22

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

This caupona was excavated in 1873 but the reports offer insufficient details to determine if the open area had been planted. The room was entered directly from the street and the open area, had a portico on the north and east supported by one pillar. Fifteen amphorae with inscriptions were uncovered here.

Bibliography

Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 45 (worldcat)
GiornSc, n.s., 1874-1877, col.60
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, pp. 24-25 (worldcat)
Mau, A. 1874. BdI, pp.263
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p. 13 (worldcat)

Keywords

Garden

Garden serving a caupona.

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1870.

I.2.24 Officina Libraria

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

The garden east of the atrium had a portico extending along the south and part of the west sides. A low wall (0.52m high) connected the columns and an entrance to the garden was located on the west. In 1873 the caupona was excavated. The garden contained a masonry triclinium (l. medius, 3.85m; l. summus and l. imus, 3.20m) with a table. The badly damaged triclinium revealed the amphorae used in its construction. A low podium along the north wall was thought by Fiorelli to have held flowerpots. Mau reported a drainage channel at the corner of the triclinium formed by the l. meduis and the l. summus, although it is no longer evident. The base of an aedicula lararium remains against the east wall opposite the north end of the east couch.

Bibliography

Boyce, G.K. 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii, p. 23, no.17
Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 47 (worldcat)
GiornSc, n.s., 1874-1877, col.60
Jashemski, W.F. 1979, Garden of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius, p. 179 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, p. 25 (worldcat)
Mau, A. 1873. BdI, pp.245
Mau, A. 1874. BdI, pp. 253-256, 262-263
Mau, A. 1907. Pompeii: It's life and art, p. 404
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. II, p. 77
Soprano, P. 1950, 'I triclini all'aperto di Pompei', In Pompeiana, raccolta di studi per il secondo centenario degli scavi di Pompei, Napoli, Gaetano Macchiaroli, Editore, p. 292-293, no.1
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p. 13 (worldcat)
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus, no.32 (worldcat)

Keywords

aedicules (AAT:300002574)
amphorae (storage vessels) (AAT:300148696)
atriums (Roman halls) (AAT:300004097)
cauponae (AAT:300005208)
flowerpots (AAT:300194749)
lararia (AAT:300400600)
porticoes (AAT:300004145)
triclinia (rooms) (AAT:300004359)

Garden

Garden serving a caupona.

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1872.

I.2.28 Casa Della Grata Metallica; Casa Dell'Atrio Tetra-Stilo

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula III

Garden Description

At the rear of the house there was a peristyle garden with a portico along the east side and part of the south. The excavation took place in 1873-74. A low wall joined three stuccoed brick columns and two engaged ones which supported the portico. There was an entrance to the garden on the south side opposite the door from the tablinum and another on the east opposite the kitchen door, which was closed later according to Mau. The columns were white above the height of the wall and red below. Water was carried to the cistern by a wide gutter on the south and east edges of the garden, and Mau found some evidence of aqueduct water. There was a masonry triclinium (l. medius, 5.30 m; l. imus, 3.85 m; l. summus, 2.70 m) with a circular table (dia. of support, 0.70 m) built against the west wall. Inside of each couch there were four niches (0.19 m wide). The last niche in the south couch was larger in size and separated from the other three by the mouth of the cistern. There was a small masonry podium on the north wall with steps for access. A round tufa altar was located opposite the lectus summus.

Bibliography

Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 70-1 (worldcat)
GiornSc, n.s., 1874-1877, col.60
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, p. 25 (worldcat)
Mau, A. 1874. BdI, pp. 250-252
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. II, p. 77
Soprano, P. 1950, 'I triclini all'aperto di Pompei', In Pompeiana, raccolta di studi per il secondo centenario degli scavi di Pompei, Napoli, Gaetano Macchiaroli, Editore, p. 293, no.2 and figs. 28.6, 29
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p. 14 (worldcat)
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus, nos.54-57 (worldcat)

Keywords

Garden

Peristyle garden at the rear of the Casa Della Grata Metallica (also known as the Casa Dell'Atrio Tetra-Stilo).

Places

Excavation Dates

Excavated 1873.

I.2.3

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

The small viridarium at the rear of the house had narrow, slightly raised beds along the walls on the north and east side. These beds were for the cultivation of flowers, according to Fiorelli. A small vestibule on the north side of the garden was decorated with remnants of tufa columns brought from another site.

Bibliography

Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 37 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W.F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, p. 21 (worldcat)
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. II, p. 76
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p. 10
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus, plate no.12.

Keywords

columns (architectural elements) (AAT:300001571)

Garden

Small viridarium to the rear of a house.

Places

Excavation Dates

1916, 1950, 1985. Bombed in 1943.

I.2.6

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Italia
Italia (Pleiades:1052)

Location

Pompeii (Pleiades:433032)

Location Description

An ancient city of Campania destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in CE 79, Pompeii was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Sublocation

Region I

Insula

Insula II

Garden Description

The west portico of the small peristyle garden at the rear of the house was entered through two doors directly from the atrium. The garden was enclosed on four sides by a portico supported by eight stuccoed brick columns. On the foreside, the two first columns on the left had a larger intercolumniation corresponding to the wide opening opposite the atrium. Between these columns stood a terracotta puteal covered with white stucco. A gutter around the edges of the garden was shown in the plan. The round pool in the center of the garden no longer exists, and only stumps of the columns remain today. One of the graffiti on the walls of the portico noted that on November 17 Puteolana gave birth to three males and two females (XV K(alendas) NOV(embres) PVTEOLANA PEPERIT MASCL(os) III FEMEL[as] II (CIL IV. 3890). Perhaps they were either piglets or puppies. Pigs were more common in ancient cities than is commonly realized.

Bibliography

Fiorelli, G. 1875. Descrizione di Pompei, p. 39 (worldcat)
Jashemski, W. F. 1979, Garden of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius, pp. 104-105 (for the graffito)(worldcat)
Jashemski, W. F. 1993, Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius. Vol. II, Appendices, p. 21 (worldcat)
Niccolini, F. Le case ed i monumenti di Pompeii, Naples, Vol. II, p. 76
Viola, L. 1879. Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p. 11
Warscher, T. 1937-1957. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus