IX.6.5 Pompeii. House of Oppius Gratus. 

Linked to IX.6.4, IX.6.6 and IX.6.7. Excavated 1878.

Part 1                                        Part 2

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Entrance fauces or corridor.

According to Della Corte, this beautiful and spacious dwelling house was in the course of radical transformation at the moment of its burial by Vesuvius.

At least this was the idea of the excavators, because of the non-decorated rustic looking walls.

There was also a concentration of domestic instruments found in small rooms off the atrium, and especially in the second cubicle to the left of the entrance. 

A technical instrument, a circinus, found in  the house (Note 2 - N.S, 1879, p.45), gave the profession of Gratus, he was an architect.

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.163)

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Decorated floor in entrance corridor, leading to atrium.

According to Della Corte, the atrium pavement in opus signinum composed the epigraph of the musivarius Felix.

This was in small tesserae of white marble along the west side.

Ave Quartil(l)a, da bis (iussus); Sal(v)us sis Gra(te).

Gratus Architec(tu)s p(ecunia) s(ua).  Ego Felix (musivarius) feci    [C.X. 8146] with Note 1 on page 164.

With this knowledge he felt he was correct in making the proprietor of this house, the architect Gratus and his wife Quartilla.

The musivarius was Felix.      

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.164)          

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

Ave Quartila dab is Salv(u)s sis Gra(te) Gratus Architec(tus) s(alutem) p(atronae?) s(uae?) ego Felix [fe]ci(?)   [CIL X 8146]

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. Detail of decorated floor in entrance fauces.

Photographed 1970-79 by Günther Einhorn, picture courtesy of his son Ralf Einhorn.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Impluvium in atrium, looking east.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking east from atrium, across tablinum towards peristyle.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005.

Doorway to room in north-west corner of atrium, oecus.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Oecus in north-west corner of atrium.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Doorway to room on north side of atrium.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Window in north wall of room, on north side of atrium.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. North-west corner of second room on north side of atrium.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Second room on north side of atrium with stucco cornice moulding.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005.

Upper north wall with window of second room on north side of atrium.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Doorway to third room on north side of atrium.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005.

Andron, or corridor, on north side of tablinum, looking east.

 

IX.6.5 Pompeii. May 2005. Small room in north-west corner of peristyle.

 

 

 

 

Part 2