II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra or Palestra, including pool.
Excavated 1814 to 1816, 1933 and 1935 to 1939.
(Originally when excavated, this was numbered as Reg. II, Insula 10).
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra entrance, on left. December
2018.
Looking south-west across Piazzale Anfiteatro, towards entrances. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. May 2012.
Looking north along wall. Entrance II.7.3 is on the left, and II.7.4, to the right. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. May 2012.
Looking south along wall from near II.7.3, with entrance to II.7.2, centre right. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. July 2021. Plaster cast of tree root, to be found near II.7.3.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. May 2012. Plaster cast of tree root, to be found near II.7.3. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. October 2023.
Looking west towards entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
II.7.3 Pompeii.
Palaestra. May 2010. Entrance.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra.
December 2006. Entrance.
II.7.3 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking north along exterior wall between II.7.3 to II.7.4.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking east across pool, to interior of
entrance doorway at II.7.3. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7.3, in centre, Pompeii. October 2022. Looking east across pool in palestra towards Amphitheatre. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese
II.7.4 on left, 11.7.3 centre,
II.7.2, on right. Pompeii. June 2019.
Looking east across pool in palestra from doorway at II.9. Photo courtesy of
Buzz Ferebee.
Looking east across pool in Palestra, with entrance at II.7.4, left of centre, and II.7.3, right of centre. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Palestra, II.7.4, on left, and II.7.3, on right, looking east
across near plaster casts of tree-roots. 4th December 1971.
Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer, from Dr George Fay’s slides
collection.
Looking
east towards entrance doorway at II.7.3, from south-west corner of pool. Photo
courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. May 2010. View of west side and Piscina or swimming pool, from entrance doorway.
Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
According to NdS
1939; A group of 17 victims were found in an area of
about 20 sq metres on the west side of the pool.
Among the more or less
isolated people lying there a group of four victims could be identified
with the skeleton of a child close to that of another person.
It was not possible to take casts of any of the
victims due to the nature of the ash bank not having left any voids.
See Notizie
degli Scavi di Antichità, 1939, p. 215.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. December 2006. View of west side and Piscina or swimming pool.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. December 2006. Looking towards the north-west corner from entrance.
II.7.3
Pompeii. April 2014. Looking towards south-west corner of Palestra with
swimming pool. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
II.7.3 Pompeii. Palaestra. December 2006. Looking towards the south-west corner from entrance.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking towards south-west corner, from
pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Palestra
Pool, Looking west from II.7.3
II.7.3 Pompeii. December 2006. View of Piscina or swimming pool, looking south-west.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. Looking north-west across pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz
Ferebee.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. Looking north across pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Edge of pool in north-west corner. Photo
courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Here
was the sluice gate that controlled the water from the aqueduct.
According
to NdS, "at the time of the eruption, this grandiose natatio was not in
working order: one essential condition was missing: a water supply. The feeder
canal was cut off and avulsed up to the height of its castellum aquae on the
Via dell'Abbondanza; the pipework of the overflow canal was cut off; the shaft
of the closing sluice gate was being restored or transformed; the whirlwind of
lapilli that spilled into the vast area of the Palestra filled an empty and
dried-up basin. This is further clear evidence of the serious disorder in which
the city's water supply was at the time of the eruption, due, as we have
surmised in our other exploration(s), to the complex renovation that Pompeii
was carrying out of its urban aqueduct after the severe damage caused by the
earthquake".
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1939, p. 189-190.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. Edge of pool in north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Buzz
Ferebee.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. Looking towards north side from east side of pool. Photo courtesy
of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking north-west. View of Piscina or swimming pool from top of amphitheatre.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking north-east across east side of pool.
Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. North wall and
north-east corner of pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking towards
north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Detail of east side at north-east corner.
Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Detail from east
side of pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Detail from east
side of pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. Looking towards east wall and south-east corner of pool.
Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. Looking south along east wall to south-east corner of pool.
Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking north
along east side of pool, from south side. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Detail of
south-east corner of pool, looking east. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking south-east
across pool towards east and south walls. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Detail of edging
in south-east corner. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee
From
here came the overflow that cleansed the latrine.
According
to NdS in 1939, "Water channelling systems can also be seen in Pompeii in
the large latrine of the private Gymnasium building in Via delle Scuole, and in
the latrines of the Villa of the Mysteries and elsewhere, but this one in the
Amphitheatre Gymnasium is the first example in Pompeii of the rational use of a
large cistern system for draining a public latrine".
See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1939, p. 192, note 4.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. South side of pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. South side of pool. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
II.7
Pompeii. June 2019. Looking east along south side of pool. Photo courtesy of
Buzz Ferebee.
II.7 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking east along south side of pool,
towards amphitheatre. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.