IX.13.3 Pompeii. Domus
of C. Giulio Polibio or House of C. Julius Polybius.
Linked to IX.13.1 and IX.13.2.
Excavated 1912, 1964 and 1966.
Quick
Outline
This Quickie page has been created to give
an appreciation of the main rooms and areas of the beautiful House of Julius
Polybius without the need to navigate the many detailed pages of
photographs.
Detail
If you are interested to see the house in more detail, you can see the rooms in much greater detail in these subsequent parts:
IX.13.1-4 Pompeii. July 2017. Looking west on north
side of Via dell’Abbondanza, from IX.13.4, on right.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR
IX.13.1, IX.13.2, and IX.13.3 Pompeii. March 2010. Entrance doorways.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii, August 2021.
Room 1, looking north from entrance doorway towards room 28, in centre. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
IX.13.3 Pompeii. October 2022.
Room 1, looking north-east from entrance doorway towards doorways to rooms 28 and 29. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IX.13.3
Pompeii. October 2021.
Room
1, looking towards north-west corner, on left, and room 28 leading to atrium,
room 2, on right. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3
Pompeii. October 2021. Room 2, looking south across atrium towards entrance at
IX.13.3. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 27, on south side of atrium.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 26 on west side of atrium.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 26, looking west along south wall.
IX.13.1-3
Pompeii. October 2021.
Room
2, looking south-east across atrium towards room 28, in centre. Photo courtesy
of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2012. Room 2, atrium. Looking south across impluvium. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. April 2022.
Room 9, looking
north-west across peristyle towards rooms on north side. Photo courtesy of Johannes
Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2010.
Room 9, looking north along east portico with plaster-casts and reproduction wooden cupboards, on right.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. 1973. Bronze seal of C. IULI PHILIPPI (Caius Iulius Philippus) found in chest in Room 9, east portico.
According to Varone, on the 8th February 1973 (7 January according to Giordano), along the eastern ambulatory of the house, wooden cabinets were discovered in one of which, between various precious objects, was found a bronze seal inscribed with C (ai) IVLI PHILIPPI. The bronze seal is a symbolically individual tool. It was used to mark, as a signature, for example, the veracity of the contents of a message. After engraving with the stylus, the wax tablets were folded one against the other to form a diptych, they were bound by a ribbon closed by sealing wax on which was stamped the seal of person who thus signed for the content. It will be understood, then, like the seal of a modern notary it constituted a personal element to be jealously guarded. It was in fact worn on his finger or kept in a safe. We cannot doubt, then, that Iulius Philippus lived in this house.
Graffiti in the house shows that Philippus and Polybius had a close relationship, which may have been father and son, but it is not clear who is which. However, I think, without wanting to go into a whole series of evaluations, but I think, though it would still be questionable, that it was most likely Philippus was the father of Polybius.
See Varone A., 2015. Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto: Giulio Polibio, in Caio Giulio Polibio, 2015. Napoli: IDSN, p. 97-8, p.104.
IX.13.3 Pompeii. October 2021.
Room 9, detail of panel with painting of
masks or heads, from north end of east wall. Photo
courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2012.
Room 9, looking towards north wall of portico. Room 10 doorway is right of centre. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 10, north wall.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. December 2019. Room 10, heads of skeletons found in house, and their reconstructed faces.
From left to right - the face of a young girl of around 20 years in the last months of pregnancy at the time of the eruption;
that of an adult male between 25 and 35 years of age; and that of an old man of around 60 years.
(Photographed at an exhibition “The furnishings of the House
of Julius Polybius” (Guilio Polibio)). Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October 2021. Room 11, looking towards north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October 2021.
Room 12, north wall, and north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. April 2022. Room 13,
looking north. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. April 2022. Room 13, detail
of north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October 2021.
Room 13, east wall, wall painting of Punishment of Dirce. Photo
courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2010. Room 13, three reproduction couches and tables.
IX.13.1-3, Pompeii. February
2021.
Bronze
krater with scenes in relief, found in triclinium, on display in Antiquarium,
VIII.1.4.
Photo courtesy of Fabien Bièvre-Perrin (CC
BY-NC-SA).
According to the description card in the
Antiquarium -
The bronze krater was decorated with eight
armed male figures, six standing and two sitting.
One of the seated figures is tying his
shoelaces.
A young man stands in front of him holding a
shield, with a bearded figure holding a staff behind.
Young and naked, the second seated figure
caresses an animal with one hand and holds a sword by the hilt in the other.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. April 2022. Room 13, looking
south towards peristyle/garden. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October 2021.
Room 9, looking south-west from east portico. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2012. Room 15, looking south. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 17.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October 2021.
Room 17, central panels of east wall. Photo
courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October 2021.
Room 17, looking towards south wall. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2012. Room 17, west wall. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October
2021. Room 17, upper centre of east wall. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. October 2021. Room
17, wall painting from centre of west wall. Photo
courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2010. Room 21, upper floor balcony of kitchen courtyard. North-east corner
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2012. Room 21, impluvium in kitchen courtyard, looking south-west. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. April 2022.
Room 21, looking towards west wall with lararium in south-west
corner.
Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
IX.13.1-3 Pompeii. May 2010. Room 23, kitchen, with cooking utensils on hearth.