Refined art also entered the small houses of Pompeii. This is the case of one of the last houses that emerged during the ongoing excavations in ‘Insula de los Castos Amantes’, the complex of houses in the central neighborhood of the ancient Roman city, on the Via de la Abundancia, which connected the Forum with the Amphitheater, also being a central artery for commerce. It is a house with limited space, without the traditional atrium. It is a rarity in Pompeii, considering that, despite the small dimensions of the house, it would not have been impossible to include a small atrium with the classic impluvium to collect rainwater, something traditional in the architecture of wealthy Pompeian homes. . It was probably a choice related to the changes that occurred in Roman society, and in particular Pompeian society, during the 1st century AD. It is, therefore, a discovery that will allow us to study and delve into these changes, says a statement from the Pompeii Archaeological Park.
The home draws attention to the high artistic level of the wall decoration, which has nothing to envy of the ‘House of Painters at Work‘, larger and richer, with which it borders. The Painters’ Domus is renowned for its impressive frescoes, depicting scenes of daily life, mythology and landscapes, offering an insight into the aesthetics and artistic preferences of Pompeii’s elite before its destruction by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the 79 AD In the small house discovered, a well-preserved fresco has appeared that represents the myth of Hippolytus and Phaedra. Hence it has been provisionally called the House of Phaedra, who in Greek mythology was a princess of Crete, whose story has been immortalized in literature and has served as inspiration for pictorial works, sculptures, film and music.
two rooms
The two rooms currently being investigated are located at the back of the house. In the first, in addition to the mythological painting with Hippolytus and Phaedra, the walls, beautifully decorated in IV Pompeian style (its characteristic is the combination of architectural elements and ornamental decorations) show other scenes from the repertoire of classical myths: a representation of a amplexus between a satyr and a nympha small painting with a divine couple – perhaps Venus and Adonis – as well as a scene, unfortunately damaged, in which the Judgment of Parisan episode of Greek mythology and one of the causes of the Trojan War. A window, next to the small painting with Hippolytus and Phaedra, opens onto a small courtyard, in which works were being carried out at the time of the eruption, characterized at the entrance by the presence of a small lararium (domestic altar) with a decoration of refined frescoes with plant and animal motifs on a white background. A gutter ran around it that allowed rainwater to be channeled to the mouth of a well connected to a cistern located further down.
Pompeian treasures
In the decoration of larariothe upper part presents a bird of prey in flight, probably an eagle, holding a palm branch in its talons, and in the lower part the main scene, formed by two snakes facing each other, which frame an altar with a circular fluted shaft in the that offerings are deposited. On the left are a pine cone, a raised element holding an egg, what appears to be a fig tree and a date. Completing the background of the scene are two bushes with lance-shaped leaves and yellow and red berries on which three sparrows move. Inside the niche, ritual objects were found, left in the last offering before the Vesuvius eruption: a colorless ceramic censer and an oil lamp, both with obvious traces of burning. Laboratory analyzes allowed the identification of remains of twigs of odorous essences, while two parts of a dried fig were recovered behind the two objects. Furthermore, on the surface of the altar, two strips of colored marble and a third element were found, presumably made of red marble, with the representation of a face attributable to the Dionysian sphere, probably a silenus (being from Greco-Roman mythology, similar in appearance to the of the satyr, but with ears, legs and horse tail). Finally, in the front part of the altar, a quadrangular and molded marble base was identified, with a central housing and to the left an iron knife whose handle ends in a hook for hanging it.
Island of the Chaste Lovers
The ‘Insula de los Castos Amantes’, with an area of approximately 2,600 meters and much of it still unexcavated, takes its name from the decoration of a ‘triclinium’or Roman dining room, with a fresco that represents a couple kissing. The insula includes several houses and a bakery. The works in progress are the subject of a complex project, which has involved several phases, some of which have already been completed and have made it possible to be visited by the public, through a system of elevated walkways, since last May. . This complex has very particular characteristics, which the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park explains, Gabriel Zuchtriegel: «It is an example of public archeology or, as I prefer to call it, circular archeology: conservation, research, management, accessibility and enjoyment form a virtuous circuit. “It is about excavating and restoring under the gaze of visitors, but also publishing the data on the internet in our digital magazine.”
«Archaeology – adds the director of the Park – should be for everyone. If the construction of a subway or a road is delayed due to archaeological discoveries, visiting Pompeii and observing the work of archaeologists and restorers can help us understand why it is worth documenting and safeguarding the traces of the generations who lived before us. , sentence.
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