IX.6.b Pompeii. Bar of Marcus and Une…us?

Excavated 1879.

Shop with rear rooms and upper floor, opening onto the south side of the insula.

The decorations have now all crumbled and have been rebuilt now only on the basis of contemporary reports of the excavations.

The pilaster to the east of the entrance was painted on high with white, green, yellow and purple checkerboard pattern.

The walls of the bar-room/shop had a 1.66m high red zoccolo (plinth) ending with a green band, above which the decoration continued with white plaster divided into panels with thin red and black lines.

On the right wall in the middle room, described as the kitchen, were some remains of paintings of fruit and birds on a white background.

The rear room had no other decorations other than a 1.72m high flesh coloured zoccolo (plinth) with some small remains hardly recognisable in red.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1879, p. 21-22.

See Mau in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1881, pp.30-31 (where it is described as no.13).

IX.6.b Pompeii, on left, and IX.6.c, centre right. December 2018. Looking towards entrance doorways. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.6.b Pompeii. December 2018. Looking towards entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.6.b Pompeii. May 2005. Looking north across bar entrance. The podium of the bar/bench was decorated with fragments of marble.

According to Mau, at the rear of the podium would have been one of those stoves frequently found.

The inside of the counter was painted a flesh-colour, the external side was red and painted with a hunt scene.

According to Varone, found on the wall between entrances IX.6.a and b (on the left) were CIL IV 5203, 5204 and 5206.

He said that these vernae (slaves born into the household), appeared to be offering themselves for prices between 5 to 8 asses

See Varone, A., 2002. Erotica Pompeiana: Love Inscriptions on the Walls of Pompeii, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider. (p.144)

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

Rogas

verna

(a)eris  VIII    [ CIL IV 5203]

Al[3]re

erna  aeris  V    [CIL IV 5204]

Verna  aeris  L   [CIL IV 5206]

According to Della Corte, this bar had a sales-podium and two rooms to welcome clients.

Also found on the pilaster to the left of the entrance, was the electoral recommendation

Marcus  cum  Une …..o…. (rogat)    [CIL IV 3728]

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.193)

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

P(ublium)  Paquium  Procul(um)

d(uumvirum)  v(iis)  a(edibus)  s(acris)  p(ublicis)  p(rocurandis)  o(ro)  v(os)  f(aciatis)  Marcus

cum  une[3]O[3]       [CIL IV 3728]
 

According to Sogliano, found on the red plastered sales-podium was a very clumsily painted hunt scene, which had nearly all vanished when found.

Here could be seen a horse fleeing to the left being bitten on the side by a tiger.

Underneath this, was an ox, nearly disappeared (faded).

More to the left, an unrecognisable animal of small proportions.

Approximately in the upper middle, there was a deteriorating masculine figure, who struck a fleeing tiger with a lance to the right, and underneath another wild beast crouching on its back legs.

More to the right one could have seen a deer fleeing in this direction, jumping on its back was a dog that was biting it.

Underneath this even more, a tiger fleeing to the left, and in front of the deer an animal of small proportions.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1879, p.21f.

See Sogliano, A., 1879. Le pitture murali campane scoverte negli anni 1867-79. Napoli: (p.138-9)

According to Mau, on the upper part of the external side of the dividing pilaster (on the right, between his no.12 and 13, and ours numbered IX.6.b and IX.6.c) a rectangle (0.92 high x 1,12 long) was found. It was divided into squares by black lines (six horizontal lines, and eight vertical) that were alternatively either white or coloured blue/purple, green and yellow.

Seen under the lowest black line of the rectangle was painted the inscription (also published in Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1879, p.22) which read –

IVDICIS .  AVGVSTI . P . P. ET . POPPAEAE . AVG . FELICITER .

Under the pilaster, a masonry seat was made covered with red stucco.

It was not clear whether the seat or the inscription belonged to one or the other of the adjacent shops.

See also Mau in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1881, (p.30-2)

IX.6.b Pompeii. May 2003. Looking north across bar entrance. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

IX.6.b Pompeii. December 2018.

Looking towards east wall of middle room at rear of bar, according to Mau – the kitchen. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.6.b Pompeii. May 2005. East wall of middle room at rear of bar, described by Mau as the kitchen.

On the right (east) side of the kitchen, according to Mau, was firstly the hearth followed by the cistern made from of lavastone without a puteal.

On the left side, firstly was the latrine (in a vaulted niche) and a water-pipe from the upper floor, followed by the first step of the stairs that led up the left wall of the last room, leading up to the upper floor.

See also Mau in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1881, (p.30-1)

IX.6.b Pompeii. May 2003. East wall of middle room at rear of bar. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix

IX.6.b Pompeii. December 2018.

Cistern mouth at base of east wall. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.6.b Pompeii. December 2018.

Detail of cistern mouth at base of east wall. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.6.b Pompeii. May 2005. Cistern mouth, near east wall of the kitchen.

IX.6.b Pompeii. December 2018. Looking towards east wall. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.6.b Pompeii. December 2018. Detail from east wall. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.6.b Pompeii. Circular ivory reliquary (pyx or pisside) decorated with relief with Egyptian figures, found in IX.6.b. 

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum.

According to Mau,

In the last (rear) room were found on 30th April 1879 other objects with special interest:

- Vases of bronze, terracotta and glass,

- The yoke of a set of scales,

- A strigil, etc,

- A circular ivory reliquary, on which were seen, in low relief:

      - A seated figure with a rod, facing a crow resting on the base;

      - Then the figure of a woman with her arm straight down, and with the left leaning, holding something in her hand that looks like a clock;

      - Behind this is another standing figure with pole;

      - And finally, a sphinx standing.

            - All these figures are of an Egyptian type.

            - The material of which the object is made is very fragile, and some looks as if the air will pass through it.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1879, p.121.

IX.6.b Pompeii. April 2019. Pot/jar/vase with statuette in the shape of a lion, found in IX.6.b.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum, inv. no. 113020.

Seen in Sala (room) 88, glass cabinet VII, shelf B.

See Di Gioia, E. (2006). La ceramica invetriata in area vesuviana. “L’Erma” di Bretschneider, (p.63).