VI.9.1 Pompeii. Casa del Duca di Aumale or Casa d’Iside ed Io

or Hospitium Gabinianus or of Gabinius.

Rear entrance at VI.9.14. Excavated 1831, 1841 and 1851.

Bombed in 1943. (Strada di Mercurio 16).

Part:    1       2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9        10       VI.9.1/14 plan      VI.9.14

Graffito on an inside wall “VENIES IN GABINIANU PROMA(N)SU” [CIL IV 1314] was a written welcome which was documented by Fiorelli and Della Corte.

This led to it being classified a Hospitium or Caupona named after Gabinianum, its presumed host or patron.

The great quantity of crockery and kitchen utensils found on the site are commensurate with this classification.

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.63).

See Della Corte, M., 1965. Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.44, no.29)

On the 12th July 1842, the Duc d’Aumale, the son of Louis-Philippe, King of France, visited Pompeii as a guest of Ferdinand II.

According to Warscher, quoting PAH II, p.416 –

“12 Luglio – Si seguita a lavorare nel menzionata sito.

All’ora 11, S.A.R. il principe figlio del Re di Francia ha onorato questo R. sito con suo seguito, ed in loro presenza si è eseguito una scavo, nelle stanze a fondo ed a man dritta la strada di Mercurio, in dove si è rinvenuto.

Bronzo. Una conca circolare rotta nel fondo, priva di manici e con due basette mancanti. Una secchia in frammenti col suo manico distaccato. Due vasi bislunghi, uno di essi più piccolo, ambi col manico distaccato. Una lanterna in frammenti. Una forma di pasticceria di figura ovale ed in frammenti. Due basette di vasi. Un piccolo manico appartenente a qualche altro vaso. Un candelabro di altezza circa pal. 5 privo di basetta.

Marmo. Un mortaio rotto col suo pistello.

S.A.R. n’è partita di questo Real sito verso le 3 dopo la mezzanotte”

See also PAH III, p.183.

See Breton, Ernest. 1870. Pompeia, Guide de visite a Pompei, 3rd ed. Paris, Guerin.

See Minervini, Bull. Napol.1843, p.68

See Warscher, T, 1938: Codex Topographicus Pompejanus, Regio VI, insula 9: Pars prima, Rome, (Introduzione A).

On the 8th November 1843 the Duc d’Aumale, again visited as a guest of Ferdinand II.

The Duc visited the area of VII.3.9-14 on the same day and was presented with many objects from there too. (See PAH II, 427)

See also Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi. (p.159).

VI.9.1 Pompeii. 1938 photograph by Tatiana Warscher.

Looking towards Tower XI at the northern end of Via Mercurio. VI.9.1 is on the right.

Warscher commented that the “pomerium” was between the walls of the city and the walls of the House of Duc d’Aumale.

See Warscher, T, 1938: Codex Topographicus Pompejanus, Regio VI, insula 9: Pars prima, (no.1), Rome, DAIR, whose copyright it remains. 

VI.9.1 Pompeii. 1957. Looking north-east towards exterior wall, at northern end of Via di Mercurio. 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.

J57f0345

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W649 Façade on Via Mercurio, looking north-east.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

According to Warscher, the façade of the house measured –

1) from the corner, that meant from the “pomerium of the city”, up until the entrance - 10,00

2) the entrance                                                                                                                                  -   1.80

3) from the entrance to the dividing wall with the House of Meleager                               - 22,20

                                                      Total length of façade -  34m

See Warscher, T, 1938: Codex Topographicus Pompejanus, Regio VI, insula 9: Pars prima, Rome, DAIR.  

VI.9.1 Pompeii, shown on left front of picture. Looking south along Via di Mercurio, from Tower XI.

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

VI.9.1 Pompeii, on left. 1959. Looking south on Via Mercurio, from north end. 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.

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VI.9.1 Pompeii, on left. W.1364. Looking south on Via Mercurio, from north end.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.9.1 Pompeii, shown on left front of picture with considerable amount of detail, and standing walls.

Looking south along Via di Mercurio, from Tower XI. Late 19th century photograph.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W647 Façade on Via Mercurio, north end.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. North-west corner of exterior front wall on Via di Mercurio, with Tower XI and City Walls.

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

VI.9.1 Pompeii. From model in Naples Archaeological Museum. North end of VI.9.1 on right showing site of street altar and wall now gone.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. December 2005. Entrance doorway on Via di Mercurio, looking towards south wall of fauces.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W 626. Entrance doorway, looking east.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

According to Warscher, quoting Nissen, in the entrance corridor, on the left of the doorway, a square hole in the wall for fixing a bar to barrier the door, could be seen.

The threshold of lava stone measured 0,55m in its breadth.

The floor was of opus signinum of the later period.

The two entrance corridor walls, 3,55m in length, still showed some miserable traces of paintings.

See Warscher, T, 1938: Codex Topographicus Pompejanus, Regio VI, insula 9: Pars prima, (no.5), DAIR, Rome.  

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W629. Façade at south end of wall on Via Mercurio.

This would have originally been a doorway into a previous property, the entrance corridor of which then became the cubiculum, room 20.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W 630. South end of façade on Via Mercurio.

At the rear of this wall, would be a cubiculum, room 21.

The tall remaining walls on the right would be the south walls of the large triclinium, room 15.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W631. Façade wall on Via Mercurio in south-west corner, adjoining with the peristyle wall of VI.9.2.

At the rear of this wall would be cubiculum room 16.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W627. Looking north-east towards façade on Via Mercurio.

Looking towards the entrance doorway and north wall of fauces.

On the left of the doorway, a square hole in the wall for fixing a bar to barrier the door, could be seen.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. W625. Façade and entrance doorway, looking towards south wall of fauces.

Photo by Tatiana Warscher. Photo © Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Arkiv.

VI.9.1 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking east from entrance fauces, room 1.

According to Packer, both the entrance corridor and atrium would have had a high red dado, and plain white walls.

See Cronache Pompeiane, IV, 1978, for article by Packer, J: Inns at Pompeii: a short survey (p.24-30)

According to Warscher, the two entrance corridor walls would have been 3,55m in length, and still showed some miserable traces of paintings.

See Warscher, T, 1938: Codex Topographicus Pompejanus, Regio VI, insula 9: Pars prima, (no.5), DAIR, Rome. 

VI.9.1 Pompeii. December 2005. Looking east across site of atrium, room 2, from entrance corridor.

Two bombs fell on this house in 1943, destroying the wall on the north-west side of the atrium, and part of the area on the north-east.

By 1982, according to Garcia y Garcia, the house was still abandoned and semi-derelict.

To date, there has been some clearance and improvement.

See Garcia y Garcia, L., 2006. Danni di guerra a Pompei. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p.77)

According to Fiorelli, this hostelry, which occupied the northern end of the insula near the city walls, had been formed from three houses.

Nearby was found an electoral recommendation –

Casellium

Erastus cupit aed(ilem)    [CIL IV 179]

Fiorelli said the entrance corridor, or fauces, had much graffiti on the walls, many names, small letters of an alphabet and the epigraph

which he thought showed the name of the host, or more likely the name of the patron of the place.

Venies in Ganinianu pro Masu

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.63)

Della Corte also thought the large graffito in the andron of the house at number VI.9.1 identified Gabinius as being the proprietor –

Venies in Gabinianu(m) pro Ma(n)su     [CIL IV 1314] 

See Della Corte, M., 1965. Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.44)

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

Venies in Gabinianu(m) pro Masu      [CIL IV 1314]

Part:    1       2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9        10       VI.9.1/14 plan      VI.9.14