VIII.3.21 Pompeii. House of Sex. Decimius Rufus (Veteran)?

Linked to VIII.3.20. Excavated 1809, 1815 and 1839.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. December 2005. 

Entrance, with steps to upper floor at VIII.3.20 on right.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. May 2010. North wall of entrance.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. December 2004. Looking east along the north wall.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. May 2010. Looking east from entrance fauces.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Area to east of entrance.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. May 2010. Kitchen on north side of entrance corridor.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Room to north of entrance.  Kitchen with oven.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. May 2010.

North wall of entrance corridor, between kitchen and cubiculum.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking north-east.

 

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. December 2004. Looking north-east.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. May 2010. Looking east.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. May 2010. Looking north-east to rear of house.

According to Fiorelli, on the one column that supported a covered portico, the following graffito was found.

This gave the name of someone who had lived here –

Sex.  Decimius  Rufus  milis  coh  V  pr  ?  Martialis    [CIL IV 1994]

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.125)

 

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

Sex(tus)  Decimius  Rufus

mil(e)s  coh(ortis)  V  pr(aetoriae)  (centuria)  Martialis

 

According to Mau, this translated as –

Sextus Decimius Rufus, a soldier of the 5^th praetorian cohort, of the century led by Martialis

See Mau, A., 1907, translated by Kelsey, F. W., Pompeii: Its Life and Art. New York: Macmillan. (p. 492).

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. Postcard dated 1^st August 1939. Looking north across VIII.3.

VIII.3.21 can be seen at the front of the picture.

This shows the corridor that runs west to east from the entrance and in the centre is the doorway to the kitchen.

The arched niche described by Boyce, and the north wall of the garden, can be seen to the right in the centre of the photo.

Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. Detail of niche and garden from postcard dated 1^st August 1939.

According to Boyce, in the north wall of the garden was an arched niche adorned with an aedicula façade.

The façade had a modelled stucco cornice running around the curve of the arch.

It also had a heavy ledge projecting from the wall.

The inside walls of the niche were covered with white stucco and outlined with red stripes.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.76, no.356, & Pl.3,5 photo by Warscher).

Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking north-east to rear of house.

 

VIII.3.21 Pompeii. May 2010. Wall with niche.

 

VIII.3.20 Pompeii. May 2010. Steps to upper floor, taken from inside VIII.3.21