I.2.20 Pompeii. Caupona. Linked to I.2.21. Excavated 1869.
Part 2 Part 1
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking towards west wall and north-west corner of garden area.
According to Jashemski, the garden was excavated in 1873.
It had a roofed passageway on the east and the south.
In the north-west corner, there was a masonry biclinium with a round table.
There was a niche lararium on the north garden wall.
See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.24)
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Two-sided triclinium in the north-west corner of the garden.
According to
Soprano –
Ubicazione: viridario.
L. medius, m. 2.65, l. imus, m. 2.93, diametro della mensa, m.
0.93.
Bibliog.
Fiorelli, op. c., p.45; “Bull. Inst.”, 1874, p.263;
Viola, op. c., p.9.
I due letti sono
addossati all’angolo N.O. del viridario, e hanno il piano superiore inclinato
dall’esterno verso il muro; lungo le sponde interne (plutei)
corre un
canaletto per la raccolta delle acque. Entrambi i letti appaiono ancora
ricoperti di cocciopesto. Su uno dei due muri ai quali sono addossati i letti
rivestiti d’intonaco giallo chiaro, era tracciata con il carbone una testa
muliebre, in mezzo a varie epigrafi, ora del tutto svanita.
“Bull. Inst.”
= Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR).
I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. North wall of garden. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.
I.2.20 Pompeii. 1935 photo taken by Tatiana Warscher. Looking towards north wall of garden with niche.
Warscher noted “La
pittura del larario è svanita”.
(translation: The lararium painting had vanished).
See Warscher T., 1935. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus: Regio I.2. (no.35), Rome: DAIR, whose copyright it remains.
I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010.
Detail of blocked arch doorway and niche in north wall. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. North wall of garden area, with niche.
Under the niche was a painting of a big, crested serpent, creeping through plants to an altar, on which were various fruits and a pine-cone.
Above these, and at the sides of a terrestrial globe with a crescent moon and stars, were the figures of Bacchus and Fortuna.
Nothing remains today.
See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. p.36
I.2.20 Pompeii. Painting of Bacchus and Fortuna found under the niche on the north wall of garden.
See Fiorelli, Descrizione di Pompei, 1875, (p. 46).
According to Boyce,
On the north wall of the garden is a lararium painting (h.1.62 by w.230). (Boyce notes that “Sogliano gave the dimensions as height 2.30 by width 1.62, but it is clear from the drawing in Fiorelli that the width is of the greater dimension”.)
In the centre was a globe, attached to it was a crescent moon and above it, a star.
On the left stood Fortuna, holding a cornucopia in her left and a rudder in her right hand.
On the right was Bacchus, resting his left arm on a pilaster and holding a thyrsus.
With his right hand, he tips wine from a kantharos into the mouth of the panther standing at his side.
Across the top are two garlands.
Below a large crested serpent glides amidst plants towards an altar furnished with offerings – an egg and a pine cone.
In the wall beside the serpent is an arched niche (h.0.40, w.0.58, d.0.18, h. above floor 1.20) within which were found various objects.
See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.22-23, no.13).
See Fröhlich, T., 1991. Lararien und Fassadenbilder in den Vesuvstädten. Mainz: von Zabern, (p.250, L3, abb.2)
Kuivalainen comments –
“A young half-naked Bacchus is depicted in customary fashion.
He is in the company of Fortuna, as identified by her attributes, in a garden lararium.”
See Kuivalainen, I., 2021. The Portrayal of Pompeian Bacchus. Commentationes Humanarum Litterarum 140. Helsinki: Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, (p.129-30, D7).
I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2018. Detail of niche set into north wall. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Remains of niche on north wall.
I.2.20 Pompeii. Bust of Isis found in Caupona at I.2.20. Now in Naples Archaeological Museum.
According to Boyce, a terracotta bust of a woman with a modius upon her head and adorned with a necklace was found in the niche.
Also found in the niche, were:
A bronze equestrian statuette of a helmeted warrior, holding a spear in his right hand.
A bronze statuette of Diana, holding a bow in her left hand, she was drawing an arrow from the quiver on her shoulder with the right hand.
A terracotta statuette of a woman, fully clothed, seated and holding a child in swaddling clothes.
A terracotta object in the form of a kind of cradle, within which lies the half-bust of a child with a bulla about its neck.
A green-glazed clay head representing Medusa.
A marble Bacchic head from a herm.
See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.23).
I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. Looking east from across garden area, and across atrium towards entrance doorway.
Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking south-east across garden area towards kitchen.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking south-east to door to kitchen area, from atrium area.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking east across small atrium area to entrance corridor.
I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. Entrance doorway, looking east.
Looking towards entrance doorway, and out onto Vicolo del Citarista. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking east along short entrance corridor to Vicolo.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Small room on north side of entrance.
I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010.
Looking north through doorway into small room on north side of entrance. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.
I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Small room on north side of entrance. Looking north.
In Codex Topographicus Pompeianus: Regio I.2, (the copy at DAIR), Warscher included Viola’s description of the insula, from
Gli scavi di Pompei dal 1873 al 1878, p.10 (Pompei e la regione sotterrata dal
Vesuvio nell’anno 1879, Seconda parte).
This is included at the end in all parts of I.2 on the website.
“Nel dicembre del
1873 incomminciò lo scavo di questa isola – quale dovette essere abitata da
moltissime persone. Infatti non si vede grande lusso di abitazioni, nè grandi
locali, ove i ricchi pompeiani passavano la vita nell’ozio e nel piacere; si
può invece osservare grand’economia di spazio, case piccole miste a botteghe e
ad officine, onde non è difficile argomentare che quivi abitarono persone del
ceto medio, le quali benchè agiate non godevano certamente della più splendide
posizione.
E’ questa
un’isola dove avennero frequentissime trasformazioni, per cui riesce
difficillissimo intravvedere qual’era la sua forma primiera; non mancano però
degli avanzi di costruzioni primitive, insieme ad altri di epoca posteriore,
come si osserva in molti luoghi di Pompei.
La sua area è di
mq.2948, ed è limitata da occidente dal cardo, a settentrione dalla via
secunda, ad oriente dal vico parallelo al cardo e a mezzogiorno dalla via
tertia che la separa dalle isole 1 e 5; il margine che la fiancheggia da tre
lati escluso l’orientale e sulla via tertia di fronte al vano No.28 si vede un
piccolo ponte, formato da massi posti a contrasto, il quale serve per unire i
due margine (vedi la fotografia no.42c)”.
(Note: this photo can also be seen at I.5.1, I.2.28 and in the “streets” section under Vicolo del Conciapelle).
See Warscher T., 1935. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus: Regio I.2. Rome: DAIR.
(translation: "In December of 1873 the excavation of this insula began – which would have been inhabited by many people. In fact you don't see great luxury homes, nor large rooms, where rich Pompeian passed life in idleness and pleasure; if you instead look at the great economy of space, small homes and shops mixed with workshops, it's not difficult to argue that here lived people in the middle class, which however well-to-do they certainly did not enjoy the most splendid position.
This was an insula, where there were frequent transformations, for which it is difficult to glimpse what was the original form; it does not lack however, the remains of primitive constructions, alongside others of a later date, as can be seen in many places in Pompeii.
Its area was 2948 sq. m., and was bounded on the west by the “cardo”, on the north by via secunda, and east by a parallel vicolo to the “cardo” and in the south by the via tertia, that separated it from Insula’s 1 and 5: the border that flanked it by three sides excluding the east and on via tertia opposite No. 28, you will see a small bridge, formed by a boulder placed to serve to unite the two edges, (see photo No. 42 c)."