I.8.14 Pompeii. Casa di Epidius Primus.

Excavated 1938 to 1941.

Part 1      Part 2      Plan

I.8.14 Pompeii, on left. December 2018. Looking north-east towards entrance on Via di Castricio. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

I.8.14 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking north through entrance doorway towards room 1, fauces.

According to Della Corte, an electoral recommendation was found on the right of the entrance -

(M. Epidius) Primus r(ogat)    [CIL IV 7209, note this is the number on page 327, but it should read CIL IV 7299.

Three amphorae were also found inside, with the name – M. Epidi Primi    [CIL IV, 9519-9521]

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p. 327-8)

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

L(ucium)  Caecilium

IIvir(um)

Primus  r(ogat)          [CIL IV 7299]

M(arci)  Epidi  Primi

/

C() Pla()

/

"GR"

/

XXXV              [CIL IV 9519]

C() Cli()

TXXpcia

VXXXCII

CCCLXXX

/

P() C() P() XX

P() P() XXC

M(arci) Epidi Primi

/

XX

XXIX

/

"GR"               [CIL  IV 9520]

P(ondo) VIII

/

P(ondo) LIII p(ondo) VIII

P PXLV

M(arci)  E(pidi)  Pr(imi     [CIL IV 9521]

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Steps to upper floor on west side of room 1, entrance corridor/fauces.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 2, atrium, looking north from entrance corridor 1.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 2, looking north across atrium.

To the north of the atrium (2) follows the small courtyard (7) in which most of the amphorae were found; from it, passing into the small room (8), you enter to the West the kitchen, with adjoining latrine (10) and (11) and, to the East, into room (9), the only one that preserves more substantial remains of pictorial decoration of 4th style.

Guardando a nord attraverso l'atrio 2.

Segue al Nord dell'atrio (2) il cortiletto (7) nel quale si rinvenne la maggior parte delle anfore; da esso, superando il piccolo ambiente (8), si accede ad Ovest alla cucina, con annessa latrina (10) e (11) e, ad Est all’ambiente (9), l’unico che conserva più consistenti resti di decorazione pittorica di IV stile.

See/Vedi Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. I. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 834-5.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 2, north side of atrium with window into courtyard 7.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 2, atrium floor with site of tufa impluvium with moulded edge.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 3, looking south through doorway from west side of atrium 2.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 4, looking south through doorway from east side of atrium 2.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 4, looking towards south wall with window onto Via di Castricio.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 2, east side of atrium, with doorways to rooms 6 and 5.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007.

Room 5, cubiculum on east side of atrium, looking east along north wall towards north-east corner.

A high yellow plinth; white middle area: panels framed in red, with vignettes (a swan at the west end, Pegasus in the centre, the east end one has disappeared) and carpet borders (triangles in the central panel, drops in the lateral ones) separated by white compartments with golden candelabra. IV style.

See/Vedi Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. I. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 838.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 5, detail from north wall and north-east corner of cubiculum on east side of atrium. You can see on the N wall the lower part of the vault compared to the flat ceiling that covered the front part of the room.

See/Vedi Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. I. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 838.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 5, east wall of cubiculum with circular window.

The high zoccolo was yellow, and the middle zone of the wall was white showing vignettes with “carpet borders” in the panels separated by compartments painted with golden candelabra.

See/Vedi Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. I. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 838.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 5, south-east corner and south wall of cubiculum.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Doorway to room 6, room on east side of atrium.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 6, looking towards north-east corner of room on east side of atrium.

In this room were traces of the original decoration in 2nd style, now illegible.

See Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. I. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 834-5.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007.

Room 7, courtyard area, looking north through doorway from atrium towards north-east corner of courtyard.

At the rear of the fallen wall is the latrine (11).  

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. South wall of courtyard/garden room 7.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007.

Detail of plaster on south wall of courtyard/garden 7 on west side of door leading to the atrium 2.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Courtyard 7, looking west along south wall with window into atrium 2.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Courtyard 7, looking towards west wall of garden area.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007.

Courtyard 7, west wall of garden area with south-west corner, with remains of a high cocciopesto zoccolo, and white upper zone of walls.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007.

Courtyard 7, west wall with recess with terracotta pot at base and view through to I.8.15/16.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Courtyard 7, looking through hole in wall to rear rooms of I.8.15/16.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007.

Courtyard 7, looking across garden area towards north-east corner, and doorway into room 8, on right.

I.8.14 Pompeii. 1938.

Lararium painting and niche in north-east corner of courtyard 7, near to the kitchen (10), no longer conserved.

According to Giacobello, this is found in the north-east corner of viridarium 7 of I.8.14. Fröhlich had located this in insula I.8 but could not assign it to a specific house.

Above the niche is the painting showing two large Lares, a smaller togated Genius with a cornucopia and sacrificing on a round altar while on the other side of the altar a tibicen is playing the double flutes.

At the sides of the niche are two birds in shrubs.

Below the niche is a serpent approaching an altar.

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni. (p.141, no.13).

Fröhlich describes a wall surface painted on a white background with an arched niche. In the uppermost zone, the sacrificing Genius stands on the right and Tibicen on the left at the round altar. The scene is flanked by two Lares, next to which a laurel bush stands on each edge of the picture. A garland is hung on the upper edge. The arched niche is recessed into the narrow, middle zone. On both sides of the niche, a peacock appears between small plants. In the lowest zone, a snake moves between marsh plants to the left towards a round altar. At the top right, a skewer with three pieces of meat is painted. In the right half, the remains of an older snake painting can be seen under the plaster, which may also include the adjacent zone with small plants, set off in color and by a plaster edge, to which a dark base is attached below. On the wall to the left, a pig's head is painted below and a ham above it. It is not known which phase these eating still lifes belong to. In any case, they suggest that the painting was located in a kitchen.

See Fröhlich, T., 1991. Lararien und Fassadenbilder in den Vesuvstädten. Mainz: von Zabern, See Fröhlich, T., 1991. Lararien und Fassadenbilder in den Vesuvstädten. Mainz: von Zabern, p. 254, L11, Taf. 26,2.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007. Room 8, looking east.

From room 8, you enter the kitchen (10) to the north-west, with an adjoining latrine (11), and to the east into room 9, the only one that preserves more substantial remains of pictorial decoration of the Fourth Style.

I.8.14 Pompeii. December 2007.

Room (11), latrine, and room (10), kitchen, two rooms against north wall to north of courtyard area 7, behind fallen wall.

Part 2      Plan