VII .16.12 Pompeii. Casa di
Umbricius Scaurus (II) or House of Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, Father and Son (II).
Side entrance. Linked to VII .16.13,
VII .16.14, VII .16.15
and VII .16.16.
We have only been able to locate a relatively small amount of published information on houses VII.16.12/13/14/15/16 and no comprehensive plan in a general textbook, though some partial plans have been published.
The main source is Aoyagi M. and Pappalardo U. et al, 2006. Pompei (Regiones VI-VII) Insula Occidentalis. Napoli: Valtrend.
This is a specialised work and much more expensive than a generally available textbook. It does contain plans.
We have generated two outline sketch plans based on that in Bragantini, de Vos, Badoni, 1986. Pitture e Pavimenti di Pompei, Parte 3. Rome: ICCD.
This treats the five houses as two houses.
VII.16.15 and 16 are in the first house [Casa di Umbricius Scaurus (I)] with rooms numbered from 1 to 37.
VII.16.12, 13 and 14 are in the second house [Casa di Umbricius Scaurus (II)] with rooms numbered from 1 to 50.
We have devised two separate plans on these lines.
The house and the remaining rooms are on two levels, a fact not obvious from some plans. However, rooms 38 and 39 may be on a second lower level.
We have indicated the room number under each photograph. The level is shown in the text under the first photograph for the room.
We have verified our plans by our own observations and photographs
Some rooms have collapsed, or the floors are dangerous, so it was not possible to visit all parts to verify the plan.
These houses were in a derelict and dangerous state and were damaged by bombing in 1943 and are not open to the public.
Restoration work has been in progress in 2010 and 2011 on some parts of the houses.
Please be aware that existing plans, including ours, may not correspond exactly to what is on the ground, and also may not correspond to the aerial image on Google Earth.
VII.16.13/12/14 Casa di Umbricius Scaurus
(II) plan VII.16.15/16 Casa di
Umbricius Scaurus (I) plan
VII.16.12 Pompeii. October
2023. Looking west to entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. September 2005. Entrance doorway, looking west across atrium 24.
According to
Fiorelli –
“Piccola casetta
posta in comunicazione con quella seguente, piu nobile ed antica, ed alla quale
serviva forse di uscita secondaria l’ampia porta, che introduce in un atrio
tuscanico, con impluvio e due bocche di cisterna di pietra vesuviana, sulla cui
parete meridionale era graffito.
Di fronte stanno
due cubicoli, ed accosto una fauce, che menando a stanze sottoposte, teneva a
sinistra altre celle, e a destra comunicava con la casa attigua.”
See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.161).
(translation:
"Small house placed in communication with the next following one,
more noble and ancient, and to which perhaps the wide doorway was used as a
secondary exit, which leads into a Tuscan atrium, with impluvium and two
cistern-mouths of Vesuvian stone, on the south wall of which was a graffito
(see page 161).
Facing were two cubicula, and nearby a corridor which
leads to the underneath rooms, having other rooms to the left, and on the right
communicating with the adjoining house.")
VII.16.12 Pompeii. Graffito on south wall of Tuscan atrium.
See Fiorelli, G., 1875. Descrizione di Pompei. Napoli, No. 12, p. 441.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. June 2019. Entrance doorway sill. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. October
2023. Looking north-west across atrium from entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. September 2005. Room 24, looking west across atrium.
At the rear of the atrium are two rooms. On the left is room 26 which was a cubiculum.
In the centre is room 25, a closed tablinum.
On the right is area 27, with entry to lower rooms.
On the left side of the atrium, according to Eschebach, there would have been steps to the upper floor.
See Eschebach, L., 1993. Gebäudeverzeichnis und Stadtplan der antiken Stadt Pompeji. Köln: Böhlau. (p. 348).
VII.16.12 Pompeii. October
2023. Room 24, impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. June 2019. Room
24, impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. September 2005. Room 24, impluvium in atrium.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. Looking west along south wall of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii.
October 2023. Looking west along south wall of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus
Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. South-west corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. West side of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. June 2019.
Doorways to room 26, a cubiculum, and room 25, a closed tablinum, on west side of atrium. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
VI.Ins.Occ.12/13, according to Warsher. (We have also included this photo into VI.17.13).
(This area of Insula occidentalis should be VII. Ins.Occ.12/13.)
Pre-1937-39. Looking across atrium towards rear rooms on west side of atrium.
Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 1840.
(Note: we appreciate that none of the stonework ties up with the above photo, but as the area was bombed in 1943 that might account for it.
The room on the left may be room 26, a cubiculum, the room on the right may be room 25, a closed tablinum (or according to Fiorelli – another cubiculum).
OR
VI.Ins.Occ.12/13, according to Warsher. We have flipped the photo horizontally, just in case !
Pre-1937-39. Looking across atrium towards rear rooms.
Photo courtesy of American Academy in Rome, Photographic Archive. Warsher collection no. 1840.
(The room on the left may be room 25, a
closed tablinum, the doorway to the room on the right may be room 27 into corridor
12, leading to lower levels of
According to Garcia y Garcia –
“VII. Insula Occidentalis 12. The house communicated and was a dependence of the noble house to the north at No.13.
During the aerial bombardment of 1943, the atrium and the rooms around it were completely destroyed, especially those to the west. In the successive restoration, the door to the NE of the atrium which put it into communication with the house at No.13 has gone. The original aspect of all the rear part of the house, which appeared on the plan made by Tascone in 1885, disappeared forever under the rubble of the bombing. Now only the underground rooms excavated in 1884 are visible. The restoration of the fifties has considerably altered this part of the house. ...........”
See
Garcia y Garcia, L., 2006. Danni di guerra a Pompei. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider, (p.133-34).
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024.
Doorway into room 26 in south-west corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. Room 26, south-west corner and west wall. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. Doorway to room 25, closed tablinum on west side of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024.
Room 25, west wall and north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12,
Pompeii. June 2019.
Looking
north from gateway on west side of atrium towards VII.16.13, tablinum. Photo
courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024.
Looking
west from doorway in atrium towards corridor 12, leading to lower levels of
Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii.
September 2005. Looking west from area 27 towards
corridor 12, leading to lower levels of
According to Boyce, found in the west wall in a rear room with the large oven, was an arched niche. It was of irregular shape.
Its walls profusely decorated on a pinkish background with spots of many colours.
These are combined with star-like flowers on the vaulted ceiling.
See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.73, no.339)
VII.16.12 Pompeii. October
2023. Room 24, looking north-west across atrium and towards north wall. Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. Detail of north wall in north-west corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. October
2023.
Room
24, detail of walling from west end of north wall. Photo courtesy of Klaus
Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. North wall of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. Looking towards north-east corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.16.12 Pompeii. May 2024. Looking towards entrance doorway in south-east corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VII.15 Pompeii. September
2005. Vicolo del Gigante, looking
south. VII.16.12
on right.
VII.16.13/12/14 Casa di Umbricius Scaurus
(II) plan VII.16.15/16 Casa di
Umbricius Scaurus (I) plan