T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII.
According to Van der Graaff –
“Today, the twelve towers built into the Pompeian circuit are in ruins, their tall structures toppled during the earthquake of the 60s CE and the eruption of Vesuvius…………………..
Each tower consisted of three floors supported by barrel vaults and interconnected by means of rear internal stairways. A door in the back provided access to the city side, and one on either flank opened on the wall-walk. A small postern in the ground floor usually opened onto the exterior side of the defences.”
See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.71/2). (See p.71-81 – The Towers).
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. May 2006. Looking east along city wall past the tower.
According to Van der Graaff –
“The evidence for inscriptions and individual euergetism becomes scarcer for the towers. …………………….
A few fragments of letters survive, carved into the plaster and painted black near Tower VIII.
They were part of a monumental Oscan inscription that probably faced viewers approaching the exterior field side of the tower:
T V D VI T
The surviving fragments have occasioned a number of interpretations, including that they belonged to a dedicatory inscription where they spelled out the Oscan word svddit (tower) as mentioned in the eituns or that they simply marked the tower with the numeral VIII.” (See Note 101)
See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of
Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.102).
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. May 2006. Looking east along city wall towards tower.
“As a measure of how towers functioned in the public perception, at least one of them also had a nickname in addition to its official numeration. The eituns inscriptions mention mefira, loosely translated as “midway”, as a nickname associated with a tower. The modern view connected the nickname to Tower VIII because of its location halfway between the so-called Porta Capua and the Porta Nola. After the recovery of Tower IX disproved the existence of the Porta Capua, a new hypothesis assigns the mefira name to Tower VII and the street leading up to it because of its placement midway between the Porta Sarno and Nola.” (See Note 130.)
See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.106).
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. March 2018. Looking east along city wall from north-west corner of tower
Foto Taylor
Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. March 2018. North-west corner of tower
Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. March 2018. North wall of tower.
Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. May 2006. North wall of tower, from west end.
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. July 2011. East and north walls of tower. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
According to Van der Graaff –
“Anne Laidlaw has highlighted how the embellishments on the
towers included a formulaic First Style white decorative scheme featuring an
elevated socle, imitation ashlar blocks, and a Doric frieze.” (See Note 75).
“It differs slightly from the traditional scheme because the imitative orthostats above the socle are absent. There are also a few modest variations, such as the slightly lower socle on Tower VIII, but these are noticeable only up close.”
See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of
Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.95).
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. May 2006. North wall of tower, from east end.
According to Van der Graaff – in the centre and west side of the north wall are modified arrow slits.
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. May 2006. Looking south towards vaulted main chamber.
T8 Pompeii. Tower VIII. May 2006. Looking south into vaulted main chamber, with detail of upper south wall.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Blocked postern doorway on east side of Tower. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Detail of blocked postern doorway on east side. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Detail of plaster on north side of doorway. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Looking towards north side of Tower with modified arrow slits. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Looking towards north side of Tower with modified arrow slit at east end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Looking towards north side of Tower with modified arrow slit in centre. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Looking towards north side of Tower with modified arrow slit at west end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. West side of Tower. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Interior. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
According to Van der Graaff –
“Tower VIII is in an equally ruined state, rising no farther that its lower main chamber and the staircase leading down from the first floor.
It stands out because the ruins still preserve most of their plaster coating. The chamber shows sign of alteration and demilitarization.
Later masonry partially fills in the arrow slits in an effort to make them smaller. Extra plaster applied on the exterior masked the alterations.
On the interior, white plaster frames indicate that the windows also functioned in their previous unaltered state. Workers also walled up the postern and covered the exterior with plaster to hide the modification. Earthquake debris dumped in front of the postern supply a terminus ante quem of 62 CE for its closure. The earthquake subsequently damaged the building. It effectively ceased to function when a shabby concrete wall closed off the staircase to the main chamber from the city side. A few fragments of the tower, recovered in volcanic debris, indicate that parts of the ruined building still stood at the time of the eruption. …………” (See Note 101).
See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.134).
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Interior. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Stairway. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Stairway, looking down to the north. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Stairway, looking up to the south. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Detail of modified window in west wall at base of stairway, with window in north wall on right. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Detail of modified arrow slit/window on north side of stairway, in north wall at west end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Interior. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Looking east towards interior of main chamber with blocked-up postern doorway, and newly finished windows, on left.
Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Looking towards north wall of main chamber. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Looking towards north wall. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Looking towards two of the modified arrow slits in the north wall. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Detail of modified arrow slit in centre (west) of the north wall. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Detail of modified arrow slit at east end of the north wall. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010.
Blocked postern doorway from the interior. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Tower VIII, Pompeii. May 2010. Interior. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.
Pompeii city walls near Tower VIII. July 2011. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
Pompeii city walls near Tower VIII. May 2006.
Pompeii walls near Tower VIII. May 2006. Looking east.
Pompeii city walls near Tower VIII. July 2011. Looking east. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.