VI.17.25 Pompeii. Casa del Leone or Casa di Polibio or House of Polybius.

Linked to VI.17.23. First excavated in 1764. Bombed in 1943.

 

Part 2      Part 3      Part 1

 

VI.17.25 Pompeii, on left. c.1804.

Detail from drawing by Piranesi of linked house, joined with peristyle at VI.17.23, described as –

“General plan of the continuation of the road, and the buildings adjacent (opposite) to the House of the Surgeon”.

(Note: The House of the Lion/Casa del Leone is usually described in excavation reports, as “house opposite the house of Acteon”.)

See Piranesi, F, 1804. Antiquités de la Grande Grèce : Tome II. Paris : Piranesi and Le Blanc, (Vol. II, Pl. XLIV).

 

 

Excavation work began again in 1775 as indicated by the report of the excavation of 29^th April 1775 (Copy (below) of Addendum in PAH, vol. 1, addendum, pars II, p.160 –161).

“We think the house of which we speak, is on the right of the street going into the city, on the slope of the hill, opposite to the House of Acteon.”

And

8^th April 1775 – “We began again the excavation of the houses on the right, along the main street, immediate to the Gate of the city”.

 

Copy of PAH, vol. 1, addendum, pars II, p.160 –

 

Copy of PAH, vol. 1, addendum, pars II, p.161 –

 

The exploration of this house, which was formed on three levels, continued in several rooms, starting from the underground in the winter months, and then turning eastwards towards the front on the Via Consolare in the spring and summer.

On the 25^th November 1775, 12 skeletons were found, on the inside of one of the underground rooms, (see Addendum above).

 

1775

Partly translated (see Italian below) -

from Fiorelli G., 1860. Pompeianarum antiquitatum historia, Vol. 1: 1748 - 1818, Naples, 1,1, (p.282-286)

8th April 1775 –

Started working at the uncovering of the houses, which remain immediate to the Gate, according to the orders communicated by sig. La Vega. 

Addendum 8th April – We began again the excavation of the houses on the right, along the main roadway, immediate to the Gate.

29th April –

Continued to excavate, the following were found: Bronze, Iron, Glass, Terracotta, and Ivory (see PAH 1, 1, p.282-3 below, for list of finds).

These were all sent to Paderni for the Royal Museum.

  Addendum 29th April – I believe that the house of which we speak, would be on the right of the roadway going into the city, immediate to the Gate, on the height of the hillock, opposite the House of Acteon.

6th – 13th May - Nothing new

20th May –

Excavating the courtyard of the usual house inside the city, and here we found – Bronze, Glass and Terracotta finds (see PAH 1, 1, p.283, below)

27th May – 24th June – Nothing new

8th – 22nd July –

Raising the earth from above (i.e. digging down from above) – a small square marble altar was found, with low relief in all four sides alluding to Apollo.

29th July – 23rd September –

Working to cut the earth from the adjoining roadway of the usual house, in order to move the earth itself away from the wall of this house, and then to evacuate some of the rooms.

30th September –

Excavated a room of the usual house inside the city but have not found anything. Excavating then in a courtyard immediate to the same house near to the Gate, that had the flooring of black mosaic intersected by rectangles of white marble, and there the following was found: Bronze, Glass and Terracotta (see PAH 1,1, p. 283-4, below).

7th – 21st October –

Raised the earth from around the rooms already excavated last week, and around others that must be emptied.

28th October –

Continued the excavation around the usual house where only the following was found – Bronze: two door hinges and a “un maschietto” - Terracotta “un ogliaro ad un sol manico” – Bone: 5 pieces of bone to use with a musical instrument. (see PAH 1, I, page 284, below).

11th November –

Continued the excavation of a room of a house inside the city, with many finds – Bronze, Glass and Terracotta (see PAH 1, 1, p.284, below)

18th November – Continued, but nothing new.

25th November –

Because of the very rainy days, we worked in the underground areas of the house where we have worked for a long time, and where we found 12 human skeletons, but because it was known to a be a site searched in other times only a few items were found (see PAH 1, 1, p.285, below)

2nd December –

Began to take the ash to repair the royal road immediate to the excavation, some of the workers were sent to the house outside of the city, and some to the portico next to the Theatre, ..........................

9th December – Continued

16th December –

In a room of the usual house, having lifted a portion of earth, a bronze pot/vase was found, the lid was found fragmented. Excavated another room next to the same, where more finds were made: Bronze, Iron, Alabaster, Terracotta (see PAH 1, 1, p.286, below and continuing).

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 280, January 1775.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 281, January - March 1775.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 282, March – April 1775.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 283, April – September 1775

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 284, September to November 1775

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 285, November to December 1775

 

PAH, 16th December 1775 cont’d, (P.286)

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 286, December 1775

 

1776

Partly translated –

From Fiorelli G., 1860. Pompeianarum antiquitatum historia, Vol. 1: 1748 - 1818, Naples, 1, 1, (p.286-291).

6^th January –

We have worked around the usual house, making a cut of earth in the roadway that passes in front of it, to be able to empty a room.

13^th January –

We have worked around the room named in the past report, which we could not empty, having to first lift all the earth around, so that the foot of the walls could be maintained and kept standing.

20^th January –

We have worked in the underground area of the Masseria surveyed to Ignazio Russo because of the bad weather, and in the good days we have continued the work around the usual house, without anything new occurring.

27^th January –

We have emptied the room noted in the past report, and here we have found the following: Silver: … Bronze: … Glass: … Marble: …   Terracotta: …

In the bad weather, working in the underground area of Masseria surveyed to Ignazio Russo, and here we have found ……..

  According to Pagano and Prisciandaro, (p.76) – 27^th January 1776, found in VI.17.19, a marble altar in Sorrento stone …… (NAP 20263).

3^rd February –

We have continued to advance a cut of earth near to the room emptied in the past week, and in the bad weather we have worked …………………… to the Theatre.

10^th February – 2^nd March –

We have continued to lift the earth in the same site, especially to discover the road immediate of the usual house, and to link this excavation with the other at the gate of the city, without anything new.

9^th March –

We have worked to discover the road, which continues from the gate towards the city, and nothing new has occurred at this site. Near to the Theatre……………………………….

16^th March –

 We have continued according to the usual to discover the main road, without anything new.

23^rd – 30^th March –

We have continued to excavate to discover the road, which passes in front of the house discovered lately, and continues towards the gate of the city. We have given the ash to repair the royal road. The fear of frost having passed, we must discover the floors of the buildings of Pompeii and clean all of them, and make the road which leads from one excavation to another, where things remain to be seen…………………

6^th – 13^th April –

In this week, we have continued to discover the road in continuation of the gate of the city, and nothing new has occurred; and we have continued at the same time to clean the buildings and the ancient floors, and to repair the roads which pass from one to another site of a discovered building. The builder and the carpenter have been employed to re-establish the ancient buildings.

20th April –

A cut of earth had been undertaken to discover some houses, which were in continuation of the others already discovered on the side of the city gate and here a bronze coin was found……..   ……………………..

  According to Addendum, p.161 – “e pare si debba intendere del sito dirimpetto alla cosi detta casa di Chirurgo”.

  (trans: “and it seems to be the site opposite the so-called House of the Surgeon”. (Note: perhaps VI.17.9/10).

  According to Pagano and Prisciandaro, p.76, this could be VI.17.11-14.

27^th April – 4^th May –

We continued the excavation of the houses already mentioned, without anything new.

11^th May –

We continued according to the usual, working to discover some house in continuation of the others, which were near to the gate of the city. But with all this it is necessary to discover these, to continue the main road, as if to have the circuit of the city, and then to be able to continue the excavation of the other houses, which remain inside of the city itself, little or nothing can be found here, for having been covered by little soil, and to recognize that many of these houses had already been ruined, before the total ruin of Pompeii.

18^th May –

We have begun another cut of earth to unite the recently discovered houses with those that had been standing for a long time in continuation with the others near to the gate of the city, without anything new occurring.

25^th May – 22^nd June –

We have continued the excavation, lifting earth from above in the houses, following from the others already excavated, near to the gate of the city itself; without anything new. ………………….

29^th June –

We have begun the excavations according to the usual, to unite into one all of the buildings which have been discovered near to the gate of the city: and amongst the lapilli and the ash, the following coins were found on the morning of the 24^th of June, without there being any hint near to them of a human skeleton or other. Gold coins…. Silver coins…. All of this money was sent to Paderni at the Royal Museum.

  According to Pagano and Prisciandaro, p.76, this could be VI.17.11-14.

6th July –

We have continued the excavation to discover the houses, that were immediately following the others near to the gate of the city, and some distance from the site where we found the coins last week, we have found – a bronze vase/pot ………… etc.

13^th July – 24^th August –

We have finished lifting the earth to a certain height above the houses that are near to the gate of the city: and have continued cutting the earth from the road that passes in front of them: and we have formed another cut of earth to leave free the showing of the houses on the opposite side that we have begun to discover, thereby discovering the entire width of the road, they will not suffer damage from the impact of the earth, without anything new.

31^st August – 7^th September –

In these past two weeks we have continued the work as referred to in the previous report, and amongst the ruin of some walls we have found a marble sun-dial, of the same form……. and of another described in the report of 5^th January 1771 ……………….

14 – 21^st September –

We have continued as in the past report, without anything new occurring.

28^th September –

We have discovered a room with floor of ordinary mosaic, and in continuation of this some other rooms and a corridor with stairs that lead to some underground areas, but have not found anything that merits attention.

  According to Addendum, p.162 – “Casa dirimpetto a quella del Chirurgo”, (trans: “House opposite to that of the Surgeon”.) (Note: perhaps VI.17.9/10).

  According to Pagano and Prisciandaro, p.76, this could be VI.17.11-14.

5^th October – 9^th November –

We continue to lift earth from above the house mentioned in the past report, and nothing new has occurred.

16^th – 23^rd November –

We continue the excavation without anything new, by emptying some very ruined houses at the edge of the city, and that we well know have already been searched by the ancients: but even these must now be discovered, in order to be able to move forward with some regularity.

  According to Addendum, p.162 – 16^th November – “Houses ruined and re-searched by the ancients on the edge of the city, in the vicinity of the gate”.

  According to Pagano and Prisciandaro, p.76, this could be VI.17.11-14.

30^th November –

We continue according to the usual, only in some rainy days we work in the underground areas that are under the Masseria surveyed to Ignazio Russo, since it had usually been done in other winters, and conforming is noted with the date of 20 January of the current year.  In these underground areas, we had always worked to discover a long corridor; now we have found a corner of the same, and that it was vaulted.

7^th December –

We continue the excavation accordingly, to re-search some rooms of the dwellings, that are around the extremity of the city, in order to discover the main road, and the houses that are on the other side of the same road.

14^th – 28^th December –

We continue the excavation according to the usual, and have emptied a room until the floor, without having found anything: particularly for rainy days almost always working in the underground areas, under the territory of ‘PP Celestini surveyed to Ignazio Russo, (probably Villa of Cicero) and nothing new has occurred. Thursday morning, 12th of the current month, the royal prince………….

 

  

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 286, January 1776

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 287, January to March 1776

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 288, March to May 1776.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 289, May to June 1776.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 290, June to September 1776.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 291, September to December 1776.

 

 

1777

Partly translated –

From Fiorelli G., 1860. Pompeianarum antiquitatum historia, Vol. 1: 1748 - 1818, Naples, 1, 1, (p.291-295).

^4th January –

We continue the discovery of the houses that are immediate to the gate, and only on rainy days we work in the underground areas under the land of PP. Celestini.

11^th January –

We continue the unveiling of Pompeii, working now in the house immediate to the gate, and now in the underground areas under the land of PP. Celestini, (probably Villa of Cicero) according to what the weather allowed: and amongst the earth, the following was found – Bronze: …  The builder and the carpenter have been employed to restabilise the underground area expressed above.

18^th January – 22^nd February –

We continue the excavation, to discover the houses that are immediate to the others that follow those from the gate towards the interior of the city, according to the usual without anything new. On the 15^th February………………….

1^st March -

We have emptied some rooms immediate to the main road, and here we have found the following : Bronze: … Glass: … Terracotta: …

And four pieces of Ivory, three worked on the back, perhaps for decoration on some furniture. 

8^th – 15^th March –

We continue according to the usual to discover some house largely ruined, immediate to the main road.

22nd March –

We continue the discovering of the main road.  In the peristyle behind the Theatre……………etc

29^th March –

Lifting the earth from above the main road, we found two skeletons immediate in the upper part of the lapilli, one of these an adult man, and the other a small child with small golden pendants, from each of which a small pearl hung, one well conserved and the other somewhat affected by the fire. And between the bones of the hand of the small skeleton, a small golden ring was also found which had, in the place of a gem, an engraved branch. This ornament weighed 1.77 grams (“una dramma”) and was sent to Paderni for the Royal Museum.

5th April – 12th July –

We continue the excavation, lifting earth from above the main road, and from some shops that are immediate to it, without anything new.

19th – 26th July –

In the past two weeks, we had to continue the excavation to discover the main road with the houses that were on both sides: so that no imperfect part remains, we have taken the earth around the house which had been excavated for a long time, and which was the best of the houses discovered at present: with this we hoped to ward off the damp from the painted walls, to search if there are other parts of the same house, that have not yet been searched.

26^th July – 2^nd August –

In the past two weeks we have continued to take out around the house noted in the previous report, and above the floor of the lapilli, have found – Silver: … Bronze: …Bone: …Glass: …

9^th August – 13^th September –

We continue to take off the earth from the usual house, without anything new.

20th September –

After having finished lifting a portion of earth from around an ancient house, according to what has been said in the previous report, we have returned to work by the main road, advancing the discovery of this, and of some side rooms towards the interior of the city.

27th September –

We continued the excavation, according to what was said in the other report, to cover the main road, and some houses along the road towards the south-east.

4th October –

Having emptied two rooms, we found the following in one of these –

Bronze: … Bone: … Glass: … Terracotta: …

According to Pagano & Prisciandaro, (p.76), found in VI.1.10 were the following - Bone: A needle, which ended in a woman's figurine, but this was missing one arm and head, NAP 77393, (p.293 below), as was also a piece of Red Coral in the shape of a Priapus, that is to say, the entire virile member, NAP 27756.

11th October –

We continue to work in the main road, leading towards interior of the city.

18th October –

We have searched a room near to one that was dug out in the last of February past, as noted in the report of 1st March: these rooms remain sideways to the main road. We have found the following in the abovementioned room, Bronze: … terracotta: … Glass: … Bone: …

25th October -

We continue to discover the main road, the paving of which was very corroded by the wheels of wagons, which in their ancient time must have frequently passed by.

1st November –

We have discovered the courtyard of a house, but this like the rooms that are on the side, are filled with ancient building materials, it seems that nothing can be hoped for.

8th November –

We have finished discovering the courtyard noted in the past report, and in the same, the following was found – Bronze: … Iron: … Bone: … Glass: …

15th – 22nd November –

We have worked in the excavation of the main road, lifting the lapilli, without anything new.

29th November –

We continue to discover the main road: and amongst the earth, scattered in various places, the following was found:

Bronze: ... Glass: ... Bone: ... Terracotta: ...

6th – 27th December –

We continue to discover the main road, and some houses immediate to the same, without anything new; but in the rainy days, we have worked first to rid of earth some underground areas sideways to the same road, and then worked in a large underground area in the land surveyed to Ignazio Russo, where also we worked last winter and without anything new.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 291, January 1777.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 292, January to March 1777.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 293, April to October 1777.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 294, October to November 1777.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 295, November to December 1777.

 

1778

Partly translated –

From Fiorelli G., 1860. Pompeianarum antiquitatum historia, Vol. 1: 1748 - 1818, Naples, 1, 1, (p.295-301).

3^rd January –

Because of the almost continuous rain, we have employed the workers to lift the earth from behind some underground areas, that are under the houses already discovered, and only when the weather permits we will work to discover the main road.

10^th – 17^th January –

We have worked to lift the earth from the main road, without anything new.

24^th January –

We have begun to lift earth from all along some houses that are sideways to the road already discovered: that we will have to continue for some weeks, until all the houses are visible even though they are conserved.

31^st January – 14^th March –

We continue to lift earth from some houses near to the road, and to excavate the extremes of the houses discovered already for the most part, and near to the gate of the city; but the most of it being in the underground areas of the land surveyed to Ignazio Russo, (probably Villa of Cicero) because of the nearly continuous rain, without anything new.

21^st March – 4^th April –

We lifted the earth from around some houses in the vicinity of the gate of the city, with the object of discovering all the parts of these, in order to facilitate the transport of earth, if we want to continue to dig in this vicinity.

11^th April –

In Pompeii, to take the lapilli to make the Royal Road which passes in this vicinity, and being the site most convenient to do this, we have employed all the workers to the casa di campagna which is outside of the city (Villa of Diomedes), as almost half of them were destined for the excavations at Stabia. On this occasion, perhaps the main garden of that house will remain completely discovered, which was surrounded by porticoes, which will give pleasure to anyone passing to observe this excavation.

18^th – 25^th April –

We continue to life lapilli from the house outside the gate of the city, as in the past, employing the workers as the previous report.

2^nd May –

We have lifted the earth from above the house to prepare the lapilli, that was requested to make the Royal Road. Yesterday and today, we have worked inside the city, to discover entirely those houses, that are near to the gate of the same.

9^th – 16^th May –

We have lifted the earth in the extremities of the houses that are immediate to the gate of the city, to leave them entirely discovered.

23rd May –

We continue to excavate the extremities of some houses immediate to the Gate, to make them visible in all of their parts, and between the earth was found – list (see p.296)

6th June –

In the present week, we continue the excavation in the same manner of the past report, and we have found a piece of mosaic of a ruined floor, which contained two most lovely decorations with many colours, and one procures to find that much that has been missed, …….. In the past week, we have sent to Canart, one of various patches of mosaic, etc……… and part of some flooring found in Pompeii. (Note: perhaps VI.17.9/10).

20th June –

We continue to excavate according to the usual and amongst the ruins of a house we found 4 pieces of mosaic already mentioned before and continuing in this site one can hope above all to find the missing bits of it, at least to be able to find sufficient to conjecture as it would have been in its entirety.

27th June –

We have worked to uncover the courtyard of a house neighbouring to the other that has been excavated for a long time, to render visible all of those houses on the side of the main road, that are in that part near to the Gate.

One has sent to Canart that piece of mosaic flooring mentioned in the last report, which has a band decorated with a head, by foliage and ribbons of many coloured ribbons, and was composed of very small pieces.

Together with this main piece, other smaller pieces have been sent, that contain some portions of the continuation of the same band/border, and three other mosaic pieces with some black work above a white background.

Also sent were seven caskets of white mosaic stones.

  Addendum, (p.162), 27th June – It seems, the house opposite the House of the Surgeon.

  According to Pagano and Prisciandaro, (p.76), this might refer to the houses between VI.17.10/18.

4th July –

We continue the excavation to uncover the courtyard mentioned in the last report: and at the same time where we found the pieces of mosaic in the last-mentioned report.  We worked to reinforce with new masonry some walls that had threatened ruin, to be able to continue searching in that site, and to be able to uncover some underground areas entirely. Breaking some boulders of ruined walls, behind them we found a bronze coin that because of the rust that covered it and being very worn, we could not distinguish whose coin it was. And cleaning the drain of one of the side houses to the main street, we found in this a clay lamp with a wick-holder and without a handle, in low relief was seen two figures armed with helmets, leggings and shields, one of which was in the attitude of falling to the ground. In the same place a bronze bolt was found.

11th July –

We continued to uncover the courtyard of the house previously mentioned.

8th August –

We continue to work around the site where the pieces of mosaic flooring were found, and we discovered the underground areas, almost all ruined.

Addendum 8th August –

Ruined underground in the said house, along the principal road of Pompeii, on the right going into the city. (Note: perhaps VI.17.13).

14th August –

We continued to dig in the underground area, already mentioned in the past report, where amongst the ruins of walls were found - a bronze coin covered in rust, and 104 pieces of painted plaster, of varying sizes. Some of these were part of a frieze of a room, that with a black background were figures, arabesques, a ribbon composed of a decoration nearly of a shape of a vase, and many other things. Others include a decoration similar to a pilaster, that in the middle has a straight garland with fluttering cloth that partly goes around it, and are suspended from some twigs, from the garland itself arise some game, some deer/hinds, some flowers, and a circle with figurine, which adorns this decoration, which has a white background, and narrows on one side by a red background, and on the other with a black background. Other pieces have a red background, and others the black, all with various arabesques, that it would be difficult to describe by the amount of things that they contain, that by not being able to form a fair idea, lacking the pieces that do not combine well with each other part: all however are painted with some taste and finish. These pieces of plaster include many similar things to those of pieces that were found in the same place from 13th February to 3rd March 1764, and all would have had to belong to the same room.

Addendum 14th August – Painted plaster, that decorated a room of this underground. (Note: perhaps VI.17.9/10 or VI.17.13)

 

VI.17.9-10 or VI.17.13 Pompeii. Pastiche of fragments of wall painting found 14th August 1778, “from the underground area”.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9920.

 

According to Aoyagi, etc:

Stringent similarities also appear with numerous fragments unearthed in the Insula Occidentalis, between 1764 and 1778, assembled in the 18th century in several panels, some of which are published as a vignette in the 4th and the 7th volume of the Antiquities of Herculaneum similar in sophistication and wealth of detail in the decoration in III style of the House of the Golden Bracelet.

(Note 55): Sampaolo, 1998, p.276. no.21 hypothesises that the fragments could have been found in House VI.17.13 since the excavation diaries refer to houses situated inside the Herculaneum Gate (Fiorelli, PAH, 1860, vol. 1, p. 155 and p. 298-99).

However, the possibility should not be ruled out, that they could have been found from the House of the Golden Bracelet because the area of VI.17.41, VI.17.42 and VII.16.22, was already the object of Bourbon explorations from 1750.

See Aoyagi M. and Pappalardo U., 2006. Pompei (Regiones VI-VII) Insula Occidentalis. Napoli: Valtrend. (p.223, and note 55).

 

VI.17.9-10 or VI.17.13 Pompeii. Pastiche of fragments of wall painting found 14th August 1778, “from the underground area”.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9916.

 

VI.17.9-10 or VI.17.13 Pompeii. Pastiche of fragments of wall painting found 14th August 1778, “from the underground area”.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 9907.

 

PAH 1778, cont’d

 

22nd August – 5th September –

We excavate in the underground areas already described, and have emptied some rooms of the same, like a cistern under the same, without anything new.

12th September –

We have entirely excavated all the underground area of the house already mentioned, or at least all of a floor of the same, not yet being sure whether there is another floor underneath.  The main purpose of discovering this was, to find the remaining pieces of mosaic found in early June this year, and reported on the 6th of the same month; but we have only found two pieces of it, each approximately 0.13m squared, which perhaps could be part of the same. In the same underground area another 85 pieces of white mosaic have been found, and 11 pieces of white mosaic with some workings or black bands; all the pieces were sent to Canart.  Afterwards, another 31 pieces of plaster, portions of the decoration of the same room with those described in the cited report, were found near the site of the underground area, where they found the pieces of plaster noted in the report of the 14th of the past month, which filled us with hope that we could arrange some or the other of the pieces already found, because the others are very small. And these have been sent for the royal museum to D. Camillo Paderni, together with two studs and a piece of shapeless bronze found in the same underground area. (Note: perhaps VI.17.9/10 or VI.17.13).

19th – 26th September –

We have worked near to the underground area already excavated, with the aim of finding if there was another floor below, and by this to see if it is possible to excavate an entire house.

3rd October –

We have continued to dig at the site mentioned in the past report, where we discovered as far as the floor, part of another adjoining underground to that already discovered. The Mason was employed to re-stabilise the plaster of some rooms, discovered in the immediate area of the Gate, and the Carpenter……….

10th October –

Continued to dig in the underground area described in the past report, where apart from some other rooms and corridor almost entirely ruined, a room was discovered with one of the walls largely preserved, and this was painted over a black background with the limits/end in a copper colour which contained garlands and was placed above a zoccolo of the same copper colour, with black pattern/mirrors (con dei specchi neri). Among the ruins of this underground area, three bronze coins all covered with rust were found.

24th October –

Continued to excavate in the underground area named other times, where apart from rooms and corridor, we discovered a baths area (stufa) and other rooms for the bath, but all these are very ruined. (Note: most probably VI.17.10/9, but baths areas were found also in VI.17.25/23).

With the result that there are walls of only, approx. 0.79m to 1.05m, and there remain some floors, some of slabs of crushed brick (mattoni pesti), others of stone slabs, and others of ordinary mosaic; but some of the latter were already taken by the ancients in past times.

31st October –

Excavated two rooms of the underground area, mentioned other times.

One of these has the floor of white mosaic with two black stripes around, and in the middle a circle partitioned with various colours and surrounded by a square; the mosaic threshold of the opening that gave entrance to the room, was adorned with black and white weave. The plaster of the same room was painted with a zoccolo with a red background, adorned with festoons and panels; above this, the plaster was yellow partitioned by some lines/bands, some red some black, and mirrored in the middle, in which one knew would have been painted stories; but these paintings at present are very faded, as was the major part of the plaster.

The other room had a floor of slab stones, and the walls were covered in white plaster. Immediate to these rooms, we began to discover a staircase, going down to another floor below. Found in the mentioned stairway, was - a clay pot/vase with handles with writing VOLVSSI, written in ink on one side above the belly, and with initials on the other side, in the earth was found a piece of bronze, that could possibly have been a coin, and more coins covered with rust.

Having excavated a quantity of earth from the other underground area, immediate to where the pieces of plaster noted in the reports of 14th August and 12th September past were found, many other pieces were found which certainly belonged to the same decoration of the same room.

Addendum 31st October – Another room with mosaics and paintings, and a staircase in the above mentioned underground, that leads to the floor below.

7th November –

We continue the excavation to detect other underground areas immediate to the two already made visible, which is that which is under the house that has been excavated for a long time, where a few months ago the earth was raised from above.

21st November –

Excavated to detect the underground area already mentioned many times, where a stairway drops down, with the hope of finding another floor below them: but it seems that these stairs had no other use than to give an exit to outside the walls of the city. There among the ruins, a piece of a statue was found, and another piece of the body of a marble bird and continued with diligence in the hope of finding the rest of the remains. As for continuing the excavation, it was necessary to repair a wall that threatened ruin……  

28th November –

Excavated to reach that same floor, where the portion of statue noted in past reports was found, this being found near the door, which exits out of the same house outside the city.  How to do such a job takes time, so for now the statue we have found has been sent to the Royal Museum.  The statue formed a group, which was of a naked boy with a bird namely a goose. The boy was shown in the act of pressing with the right knee the neck of the goose, which had been drilled to pass water from the mouth: the neck of the bird was broken, and his head was missing: of the young boy, there was only the body combined with thigh and right leg, and left thigh, but it was broken in two above the belly button and corresponded to a figure of about 1.32 m in height. Certainly, the goose head was that which was found and taken out in another time in the same house, as noted in the report of January 28, 1764, and maybe the base of this group with the left foot of the young boy, was found at about the same time, as described in the report of the March 24, 1764.

(Note: probably VI.17.25/23).

Addendum 28th November – Marble group of a young boy with a goose, which was used as a fountain, found in the underground area.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 295, January to March 1778.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 296, April to June 1778.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 297, June to July 1778.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 298, July to August 1778.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 299, August to October 1778.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 300, October 1778.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 301, November 1778

 

1779

Partly translated –

From Fiorelli G., 1860. Pompeianarum antiquitatum historia, Vol. 1: 1748 - 1818, Naples, 1, 1, (p.302).

2nd January –

In the present week we began to search again for the missing pieces of the known statue, and we found the right foot of the same, and another piece of marble that perhaps belonged to it: these will be preserved at Pompeii, with the hope of finding more. The site where we found the pieces was very difficult to excavate because of the very high pumice, with the result that to do all those diligently, we will have to enlarge the opening, which takes time…….. 

7th January –

We are continuing to search for the missing parts of the last statue found, and it is due to this end to enlarge that excavation, to make clues to be able to find these pieces, being as all the ancient floors are covered again by the ruins of the higher buildings.

Amongst these, other than the foot of marble, mentioned in the last report, perhaps part of a shoe, and the other piece that seems part of an arm, we have found the following – Bronze: … Lead: … Bone: …Glass: …  (see PAH, page 303 for list of finds.)

16th January –

We are continuing to make the excavation larger, where we hope to find the pieces of the statue.

23rd January –

We are continuing to make bigger the cut of the earth, where we hope to find the missing parts of the known statue.

30th January – 6th February –

We continue the search for the missing parts of the known statue – without anything new.

13th February –

We continue to search for the finding of the missing parts of the known statue, and amongst more ruins of the masonry from above, we have found a marble finger, but one does not think it is possible to be a part of the missing statue as it is too big, and we found other pieces of worked marble. In the same place, we found the following - Bronze: … Lead: … Wood: … (see PAH, p.303)

20th February –

We continue with the usual searching without anything new.

27th February –

After having finished doing all the searching that has been possible, to find the missing parts of the known marble statue already mentioned many times, one has passed to explore the nearby underground areas of a house already for some time discovered, where one has worked also from the first of November of the past year, as my report of the 7th of the same month. 

6th March –

We continue to excavate the underground areas named in the past report, without anything new occurring, working from above to take up a great quantity of earth.

13th March –

For some days we continue the excavation for the purpose to dig out the underground area said in my last report.

20th March – 17th April – We have worked in the mentioned underground to discover a courtyard, which was almost all empty, and the extremities of some houses, which have been visible for some time, without finding anything new.

24th April – 1st May –

We have worked to uncover the underground of some houses already at some time searched, and we have found mosaic floors and others, that we had searched for in the winter, and one has cleaned and lifted the grass and weeds, which could cause damage to the ancient buildings.

8th May –

We are working to dig out the portion of the house mentioned in the last report: and which renders difficult because of the height of the immediate earth, one must begin another cut to move away the same earth from the building masonry that one tries to discover. Amongst some ruins, we found - Bronze: …

Ivory: …. Glass: … Terracotta: … (see PAH, p.304 for finds)

15th – 22nd May –

We have continued as in the past report, without anything new.

29th May – 12th June –

We continue to dig out the underground of a house on the side to the main road, and in the last of these amongst some ruins, before arriving at the ancient floor, we found the following – Bronze: … Glass: … (see PAH, 1, 1, p.305).

19^th June –

We continue to excavate in the underground area already mentioned at other times, and in a small part of the same, having reached the ancient floor, near to two human skeletons the following was found – Bronze: … Bone: … (see PAH, p.305).

26th June –

We have excavated a room of the underground area, mentioned many times, to its floor level: the floor was of black and white mosaic, but very battered, and the wall plaster in the same room which was equally in a poor state, remains painted with various compartments. Found other than a human skull, a very well polished marble ball.

3^rd July –

We continue to take earth from the underground area, mentioned many times.

10^th July – (Note -because of the paintings of figures posing on pedestals found – this entry must relate to VI.17.17).

We have completely excavated the room in the underground area, already mentioned many times.

The floor of this was of white mosaic, and in the middle some black squares; the walls were adorned with partly faded paintings, remaining the upper part remaining above a red background, distinguished by some bands with meanders, and in the spaces that are left between these bands, there are figures posing on pedestals.

Four remain to the right of the entrance, and four on the left façade; all these figures who are part of men and part of women, remain winged, and women are entirely clothed, and the men naked or with small fluttering clothes. 

One of these women supports a lyre in the act of playing it, and another carries a vase with a thyrsus, two others remain almost actionless: one of the men holds a horn, two hold a baton/stick, and another holds a cloth that flutters. The zoccolo of the same walls was adorned with various rabeschi, as was the frieze, where many figures remain, but worn out: as was the worn out painting on the walls that remained in the façade at the bottom, and that at the entrance.

In the same room two human skeletons were found; on the finger of one of these was a gold ring with false stone of green color, and between one and the other skeleton a cluster of rust, the following bronze coins completely worn out, that is 7 of a large amount and maybe even 8, if two as it seemed were joined, 12 of the middle amount, 2 of a small amount. Also found were -Bronze: … Glass: … Terracotta: … and a small tufa altar, partly broken. (see PAH, p.305).

17th July –

We have emptied another room of the underground with simple floor of slabs and ordinary plaster, and we have found money being a bronze coin of middle value very worn out.

24th July –

We have lifted some earth to finish the examination of the underground area, mentioned many times.

31st July –

We have excavated two rooms and a corridor, part of the underground area, said other times: the floor of these were slabs of crushed brick and the walls were white. Here the following was found – Bronze: … Marble: …  Glass: … Rock Crystal: … (See PAH, p.306-7).

7^th August –

In the present week, we have completely freed another two rooms of the nominated underground area.

The largest had a white mosaic floor with a work of various black squares; only a portion of the zoccolo plaster remained which was painted with some arches, pictures however very faded and worn.

The smaller room had a white mosaic floor with a distinct square with several black bands, which contained in the centre another minor square, where pieces of different marbles remain inserted. The wall plaster in the same room is mostly ruined, and in those pieces that remain the paintings are very faded and worn, and you can just distinguish the zoccolo to be red with foliage; the part above the zoccolo has a black background with white compartments.

14^th August – We are continuing with the usual, without anything new.

21^st August –

We are continuing to excavate in the usual house, where we are looking to discover a loggia, which remains ahead of the same.

28^th August–16th October – We continue the excavation as in the past weeks.

23^rd October –

After taking the earth from above the loggia, we begin to discover more rooms that remain underneath, which are in a very bad state, having the walls largely broken.

30^th October –

Near to the Gate of the city, for a few days, we have continued to excavate the rooms noted in the previous report; but as the walls of these rooms were found in a bad state, and unable to sustain the impact of the earth, we had to begin other cutting of the same earth, to remove it from these walls.

……..Theatre and Temple of Isis……………. (PAH, p.307-8).

6^th November-4^th December – Lapilli for Royal Road

11^th – 24^th December –

We worked to raise some earth from around a house, which remains inside the city, to be able to discover the complete underground area.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 302, January 1779

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 303, January to February 1779

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, I, Page 304, February to June 1779.

 

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia, 1, 1, 305, June to July 1779 cont’d

 

Note:

On the 10th July 1779, (see p.305 above) they were definitely excavating in an underground room of VI.17.16/17, as the paintings of figures on pedestals are described, but it is difficult to know when they moved on to the next or previous house.

 

According to Pagano & Prisciandaro, the items found on 10th July 1779 were taken from a room in the sotterranei, mentioned many times before.

They locate this room as being in VI.17.15-18. (linked house at VI.17.16/17). The flooring was of white mosaic, with some black panels in the centre; the walls were decorated with some paintings, in part worn-out and faded, they remained in the main part on a red background, separated by some bands with meanders, and in the space that was left between the bands, were some figures placed on pedestals. Four of them remained to the right of the entrance, and four on the left; all of these figures, some men and some women, were winged figures. The women were entirely clothed, and the men nude or with small fluttering clothes. The zoccolo of the same walls were decorated with various arabesques, as was the frieze, where there were many figures, but worn out and faded, as those of the entrance. In the same room, two human skeletons were found: one with a gold ring ………..etc.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, 1, page 306, July 1779.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, 1, page 307, July to October 1779.

 

Copy of Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia 1, 1, page 308, October to December 1779.

 

 

For more of PAH, 1780 – 1784 (in Italian), see Part 3.

 

 

Part 2      Part 3      Part 1