V.4.3 Pompeii. House. Casa di un Flamine.

Excavated 1842 and 1899.

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V.4.3 Pompeii. Drawing of rear of house in Notizie degli Scavi, 1901, p.256.

Of this house, already in large part described (see Notizie 1899, p.399 and following), I have now brought the garden area of the house and its adjacent rooms up into the light.

The garden A was preceded by portico B supported by a column, which was near to a low pilaster.

On the west wall of this portico, above a layer of lime-plaster placed on the raw plaster, one read painted in red letters the following inscription –

Sogliano read the link of the third line: iter(um).

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

M(arcum) Obellium / Firmum IIvir(um) i(ure) d(icundo) v(iis) a(edibus) s(acris) p(ublicis) p(rocurandis) scripsit C[3]      [CIL IV 6621]

The garden A was protected on the front side by a wall, interrupted towards the east by two stairs to be able to gain access to it: and surrounded on all four sides by a rain-water-channel, and containing a terracotta puteal.

To the right of portico B, was the entrance to the kitchen C with hearth “a” and the latrine “b” to the right: and a wooden table leaning on two masonry supports and the store-room D to the left.  On the facing east wall  was the painted lararium, reproduced below (in fig.2).

Then continues the same description as given by Boyce, in the photo of the lararium below.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1901, p.258-9.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking north-west from end of corridor, across south portico to garden area.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to kitchen in east wall of south portico area.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Kitchen, looking east.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. East wall of kitchen. Site of lararium painting, which had three zones, now faded and destroyed.

See Fröhlich, T., 1991. Lararien und Fassadenbilder in den Vesuvstädten. Mainz: von Zabern. (L53 on p.272).

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni, (p.169).

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (119b).

V.4.3 Pompeii. 1901 photograph of lararium painting on east wall of kitchen.

According to Boyce, the entire east wall beside the hearth was covered with the lararium painting.

The painting had three zones.

On the top zone only the lower part of the figures remained.

Around a tripod are three figures.

To the right is the genius, to the left the tibicen and the camillus.

On each side stands a Lar.

To the left a naked man leads a pig which he holds by tail and ear.

In the middle zone

a serpent advances right,

presumably to an altar that must have been over the hearth but was missing when excavated.

In the lower zone are kitchen utensils, and food items:

Two suspended sausages

An eel on a spit

A suspended grid iron

A pigs head

An indistinguishable object

Several hanging birds.

A cooking pot on a tripod.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (119b).

V.4.3 Pompeii. 1901 photograph of lararium painting on east wall of kitchen.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1901, p. 258-9, fig. 2.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Hearth and east wall.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Hearth in south-east corner of kitchen.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Hearth against south wall of kitchen.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. North side of hearth in kitchen.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Latrine in south-west corner of kitchen. 

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. North-west corner of kitchen.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Storeroom on north side of kitchen.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking south into kitchen, from storeroom.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Window in west wall of storeroom.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Corridor or andron, looking south to atrium.

V.4.3 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway from V.4.2 to entrance corridor of V.4.3.

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