I.6.4 Pompeii. Casa del Sacello iliaco or Casa del Larario di Achille

or House of the ilion sanctuary or House of the Lararium of Achilles.

Excavated 1913 and 1929.

Quick Outline

This page has been created to give an appreciation of the main rooms and areas of the beautiful House of the Lararium of Achilles. 

Detail

If you are then interested to see the house in more detail, the rooms are shown in greater detail in the subsequent parts.

Detailed photos      Plan

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2018.

Entrance doorway, looking south on Via dell’Abbondanza. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2018.

Looking south across impluvium in atrium towards tablinum, from entrance corridor.

The Lararium of Achilles, from which the house is named, is seen on the right.

Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

I.6.4 Pompeii. August 2023. Looking south across atrium from entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Maribel Velasco.

I.6.4 Pompeii. September 2019.

Room 15, looking south across tablinum through window to garden. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2021. Room 16, looking south-west across atrium towards sacellum. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2021. Room 16, sacellum. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

On the blue border are scenes from the Iliad.

Achilles moving to fight Hector.

Hector fighting and killed by Achilles and dragged behind a chariot.

Priam at the feet of Achilles pleading for the recovery of the body of Hector and taking it back to Troy.

I.6.4 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 16, sacellum. East side. Frieze showing scenes from the Iliad.

I.6.4 Pompeii, 1968. Detail from south wall. 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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I.6.4 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 16, sacellum. West side. Frieze showing scenes from the Iliad.

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2021. Room 16, detail of frieze from west wall of sacellum. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

I.6.4 Pompeii. October 2022.

Room 17, looking through doorway towards north wall and site of the imprint of a wooden bed.

Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2021.

Room 2, a triclinium, looking east along north wall, towards north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

In this room are paintings of a still life, of silver vases, a still life with figs, birds with fruit, and a maritime landscape.

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2021.

Room 4, looking towards east wall, site of remains of impression of bed in the ash. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

I.6.4 Pompeii. March 2009. Doorway to room 5.

I.6.4 Pompeii. 1968.

Room 5, black zoccolo with painted plants and birds in south-west corner near doorway. 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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I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2021. Room 5, east end of south wall. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

I.6.4 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 5, mosaic floor.

I.6.4 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 6, south wall showing the incomplete painted wall.

The upper wall is finished, but the lower area only shows the plaster, which is still waiting for its decoration.

The north wall is similar. The painters were interrupted.

See De Carolis, E., 2001. Gods and Heroes in Pompeii.  Roma: Bretschneider.  (p.31, T:27, 28).

I.6.4 Pompeii. August 2023.

Room 8, looking through doorway towards east wall with hearth, on left, and latrine, on right. Photo courtesy of Maribel Velasco.

I.6.4 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 9, small garden area. In the middle of the garden was a small pool, enclosed by a double wall.

In the space between, flowers and plants would have been planted.

See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.35)

Piles of ancient building material can also be seen in and around the garden.

I.6.4 Pompeii. December 2021. Room 11, room of the elephants, looking towards east wall. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

The room has a fine mosaic floor.

I.6.4 Pompeii. March 2009. Room 13, looking south. In the south-east corner is a structure for industrial activity, “Fornax calcaria”, a lime kiln.