I.2.20 Pompeii. Caupona. Linked to I.2.21.

Excavated 1869. 

Part 1      Part 2

I.2.20 Pompeii. November 2024.

Looking west towards entrance doorway, on right. On the left is the entrance into I.2.21. Photo courtesy of Annette Haug.

I.2.20 Pompeii, on right. September 2018.

Looking west towards entrance doorway, on right. On the left is the entrance to I.2.21. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. Looking west towards entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

According to Warscher, quoting Fiorelli, she described –

“Entrambi I due aditi appartenevano ad una caupona, cui era congiunto un thermopolium.

La caupona no.20 teneva a destra dell’androne una cella, e poi un cortile con banco di fabbrica per sedere: a sinistra la cucina, la latrina, il pozzo, ed un piccola apotheca, dove rimangono ancora sulle pareti i chiodi di sostegno alle scansie.  Il cortile, o atrio che voglia dirsi, veniva illuminato da un finestra sporgente in un attiguo viridario, il cui ambulacro sottoposto ad un tettoia, conduceva al triclinio, ad un scaletta montante ai cenacoli, e ad altre due celle destinate forse agli avventori.  Addossati ad un angolo del viridario stanno due letti triclinarii di fabbrica, con la loro mensa, e sulla parete accosto è tracciata col carbone, di mezzo a varie epigrafi, una testa muliebre di grandezza maggiore del vero, forse di quella stessa Serena, che forni argomento a varie di queste scritture.  Sulla parete a destra vedesi il sacrario dei Penati, consistente di una nicchia, presso cui è l’immagine di un grosso serpente cristato, che passa fra varie piante e si avvicina ad una mensa, sulla quale stanno imbandite varie frutta ed una pigna: superiormente sono effigiati Bacco e la Fortuna, ai lati dei globo terrestro, cui è adossata la luna crescente sormontata dall’astro, e tutto sotto due festoni di foglia”.

See Fiorelli, Descrizione, p.45/46.

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.36)

See Warscher T., 1935. Codex Topographicus Pompeianus: Regio I.2. Rome: DAIR, whose copyright it remains

(translation: “Both the two accesses belonged to one caupona, which was joined to the thermopolium.

On the right of the entrance doorway to the caupona at no.20 was a room, and then a courtyard with a masonry bench for sitting: on the left, the kitchen, latrine, the well, and a small storeroom, where the nails to support shelving on the walls still remained.  The courtyard, or atrium, was illuminated by a projecting window in an adjoining garden, whose walkway under a roof, led to the triclinium, to a stairway going up to the upper dining rooms, and to another two rooms destined perhaps for the patrons.  Close to a corner of the garden were two masonry triclinium couches, with their table, and on the wall nearby was drawn with charcoal, among various other epigraphs, a head of a woman, larger than life, maybe that of the same Serena that was mentioned in several of these writings.  On the wall to the right, we see the shrine of the Penates, consisting of a niche, near to which was the image of a crested serpent, that passed between various plants while approaching a table, on which were laid out various fruits and a pine-cone: above were the effigies of Bacchus and Fortuna, to the side of the terrestrial globe which was attached to the crescent moon with a star above it, above all were two garlands of foliage”.)

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Entrance.

Looking west along short entrance corridor towards small atrium.

According to Fiorelli, there was a painted graffito on the pilaster that divided the two entrances of I.2.20 and I.2.21.

This would have been the remains of the pilaster on the left of the picture. It said:

CEIVM  II . VIR . OVF

POLLIVS CLIENS ROG 

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.36)

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

] Ceium IIvir(um) o(ro) v(os) f(aciatis)

[3]ini v[3] cliens rog(at)           [CIL IV 3366]

I.2.20 Pompeii. December 2006. Entrance.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Entrance, looking west.

I.2.20 Pompeii. November 2024.

Looking west from entrance corridor across small atrium towards garden area.

Photo courtesy of Annette Haug.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking west across small atrium area, with kitchen area on left, and garden area ahead.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. Looking south to doorway to kitchen. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to kitchen area. Looking south.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to kitchen area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Latrine in south-east corner of kitchen area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Latrine in kitchen area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Latrine.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. East wall in kitchen/latrine. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. North-east corner of kitchen.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. West wall in kitchen area. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. West wall of kitchen area, with blocked archway to triclinium.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Kitchen area, south-west corner.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010.

Looking north from kitchen area, through doorway into small atrium. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. North wall of atrium area. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. North wall of small atrium area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. November 2024. Looking west from small atrium towards garden area. Photo courtesy of Annette Haug.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010.

Looking west from small atrium towards garden area, with doorway to kitchen, on the left. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. November 2024. Looking west from small atrium towards north side of garden area. Photo courtesy of Annette Haug.

I.2.20 Pompeii. November 2024.

Looking south-west from small atrium towards rooms on south side of garden area. Photo courtesy of Annette Haug.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. Looking south towards triclinium in south-east corner of garden area. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Triclinium in south-east corner of garden area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. East wall of triclinium, with blocked archway to kitchen room. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. East wall of triclinium, and south-east corner.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Looking south across triclinium in south-east corner of garden area. 

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010.

Remains of west wall of triclinium, on the right would have been a staircase. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010. Looking south to site and remains of staircase, on the left.

On the right, would have been a doorway to the first of two small rooms on the south side of the garden area. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Site of staircase to upper floor, and two small rear rooms in south-west corner of garden area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Site of staircase to upper floor, and two small rear rooms in south-west corner of garden area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Site of staircase to upper floor, and two small rear rooms in south-west corner of garden area.

I.2.20 Pompeii. 1966.

Looking towards the area with two rooms in the south-west corner. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

J66f0215

I.2.20 Pompeii. September 2010.

Looking east across site of small room, along the south boundary towards the entrance. Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

According to Sogliano, in one of these rooms on the left of the viridarium, a painting was discovered but which was very destroyed, showing a flying figure carrying a cornucopia.

“I.2.20, stanza a sinistra del viridario, A.0.30 – Figura alata molto distrutta, che porta un cornucopia” – (Bull. Inst. 1873, p.247).

See Sogliano, A., 1879. Le pitture murali campane scoverte negli anni 1867-79. Napoli: Giannini. (p.73, no.444).

I.2.20 Pompeii. March 2009. Site of remains of wall dividing two rear rooms (across centre of picture).

I.2.20 Pompeii. 1966.

Looking towards west wall of garden area, with south side of biclinium still in situ. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

J66f0216

Part 2