III.4.3 Pompeii. Casa del Moralista or House of the Moralist

or Domus M Epidius Hymenaeus.

Excavated 1916 to 1917. Linked to III.4.2.

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3     Part 4     Part 5     Part 6     Part 7      Plan

III.4.2 and III.4.3 are joined together and in addition the original entrance to III.4.3 shown on the Eschebach plan has been bricked up and converted to a window.

A new entrance is further west but gives access to both houses.

As a result, we have combined the pictures of the two houses.

A combined room plan for III.4.2 and III.4.3 and combined pictures of both houses can be found here on the pages for III.4.3.  

III.4.3 Pompeii, centre left/right. December 2018.

Looking west along insula III.4, on north side of Via dell’Abbondanza. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

III.4.3 Pompeii, centre left/right. October 2017. Looking west along insula III.4, on north side of Via dell’Abbondanza.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

III.4.3 Pompeii. December 2006. House with upper floor, looking east along Via dell’Abbondanza.

Both the houses at nos. 2 and 3 sustained severe bomb damage in September 1943, part of the west wall of the garden collapsed, ceilings and rooms on the upper storey were demolished, while wall paintings suffered heavily.

See Garcia y Garcia, L., 2006. Danni di guerra a Pompei. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p.56-58 - 7 photos before & after the bombing, and after restoration, description of damage, p 56)

III.4.3 Pompeii. 1943. Looking north from Vicolo di Octavius Quartio. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Looking north towards Via dell’ Abbondanza, and III.4.2 (Casa del Moralista) on the opposite corner.

III.4.3 Pompeii. June 2012. Looking north-west along front façade on Via dell’Abbondanza. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

III.4.3 Pompeii. May 2010. Graffiti to west side of entrance doorway.

Remains of CIL IV 7691 (partly conserved), and remains of CIL IV 7692 confused with another unedited inscription, reading LVCRETIVM on west side (left) of entrance doorway.

See Varone, A. and Stefani, G., 2009. Titulorum Pictorum Pompeianorum, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider, (p.264-5)

Beneath these would have been CIL IV 7694 and 7695, now fallen.

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) these read as –

A(ulum)  Suettium  Verum

aed(ilem)  Hymenaeus  rog(at)  et  cupit      [CIL IV 7691]

L(ucium)  Popidium  Secundum

aed(ilem)  v(iis)  aed(ibus)  s(acris)  p(ublicis!)  Epidius  Hymenaeus  r(ogat)      [CIL IV 7692]

]

Alipe  cupis      [CIL IV 7694]

Lucretium

Valentem  fil(i)um  aed(ilem)       [CIL IV 7695]

III.4.3 Pompeii. December 2007. West side of entrance doorway, remains of CIL IV 7691 and CIL IV 7692.

III.4.3 Pompeii. 1917. Graffiti to west side of entrance doorway.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1917, p. 260, fig. 8, and items 15-20.

The Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) records –

A(ulum) Suettium Verum

aed(ilem) Hymenaeus rog(at) et cupit       [CIL IV 7691]

L(ucium) Popidium Secundum

aed(ilem) v(iis) aed(ibus) s(acris) p(ublicis!) Epidius Hymenaeus r(ogat)      [CIL IV 7692]

Lollium aed(ilem)      [CIL IV 7693]

]

Alipe  cupis      [CIL IV 7694]

Lucretium

Valentem fil(i)um aed(ilem)      [CIL IV 7695]

Secundum

aed(ilem)      [CIL IV 7696]

]

quinq(uennalem)      [CIL IV 7697]

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. East end of front wall.

According to Varone and Stefani, under the glass protection on the right (east) side of the doorway would have been CIL IV 7699, 7700 and 7703.

The square window was the location of original entrance, now blocked.

On the right of the square window under another glass protection can be seen CIL IV 7711.

See Varone, A. and Stefani, G., 2009. Titulorum Pictorum Pompeianorum, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider, (p.254-276)

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de), these read as –

IIv(irum)

i(ure) d(icundo)

/

Ceium  Secundum

o(ro)  v(os)  f(aciatis)      [CIL IV 7699]

A(ulum)  Suettium  Certum  II(virum)

d(ignum)  r(ei)  p(ublicae)  o(ro)  v(os) f(aciatis)      [CIL IV 7700]

Veientonem  aed(ilem)

Polites  vigila       [CIL IV 7703]

L(ucium)  Sextilium

[       [CIL IV 7711]

III.4.3 Pompeii. October 2017. Detail from east end of front façade of Insula in south-east corner, plaque with phallus.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

III.4.3 Pompeii. December 2018. Plaque with phallus on east end of insula, in south-east corner. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

III.4.3 Pompeii. June 2012. Plaque on east end of insula, in south-east corner. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

On the front wall at the east end, under the plaque CIL IV 7708, 7709 and 7710 were found.

None of these are conserved.

See Varone, A. and Stefani, G., 2009. Titulorum Pictorum Pompeianorum, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider, (p.270-71)

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de), these read as –

Cn(aeum) Helvium Sabin(us) / aed(ilem) Epidius cum suis / vol(t) et probat       [CIL IV 7708]

N(umerium) Popidium II(virum) i(ure) d(icundo) / Epidius rogat       [CIL IV 7709]

M(arcum) Casellium et / Albucium aed(iles)       [CIL IV 7710]

According to Cooley, CIL IV 7708 translated as –

Epidius with his household want and support Cn. Helvius Sabinus as aedile.

See Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge. (p.121, F36)

III.4.3 Pompeii, 1968. Plaque on east end of insula, in south-east corner. 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.

J68f0333

III.4.3 Pompeii. December 2018. Looking north on Via dell’Abbondanza towards entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

III.4.3 Pompeii. May 2006. Entrance.

III.4.3 Pompeii. October 2022.

Room 1, looking north from entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, west side of entrance corridor.

III.4.3 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 1, looking north along west side of entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, west side of entrance corridor.

III.4.3 Pompeii. May 2017.

Room 1, detail of remains of painted decoration on west wall above bench/counter. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

III.4.3 Pompeii. May 2017.

Room 1, detail of bench or counter against west wall of entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, west side at north end of entrance corridor.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, south end of east side of entrance corridor.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 2, on east side of entrance corridor.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 2, north-east corner.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 2, looking south.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 2, north wall.

III.4.3 Pompeii. May 2017. Room 1, looking north along east side of entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, east side.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 1, north-east corner.

III.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 4, at north end of room 1.

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