V.2.21 Pompeii. Casa di Adone or House of Adonis.
Partly excavated c.1893. Fully excavated 2018.
We have constructed the new rooms on this page from press material and photos produced by the Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
Our grateful thanks to the Parco Archeologico di Pompei for giving us permission to use their press releases and photos.
Abbiamo
costruito le nuove ambiente in questa pagina da materiale stampa e foto
prodotte dal Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
Ringraziamo il
Parco Archeologico di Pompei per averci dato il permesso di utilizzare i loro
comunicati stampa e le loro foto.
The entrance doorway is on a side road from the Via di Nola, which was blocked in 1984, but now being re-excavated, May 2018.
This previously unnamed vicolo is now known as the Vicolo dei Balconi.
According to
Osanna –
Imboccando la via
appena riemersa dai lapilli, dunque, dopo poche decine di metri sulla sinistra,
superata la prima abitazione piuttosto modesta (chiamata Casa di Adone per una
pittura raffigurante l’eroe amato da Afrodite, V.2.21) ci si imbatte in una
casa dalla solenne, antica facciata, la quale confina direttamente con
l’impononte domus degli Albucii.
(Taking
the path just emerged from the lapilli, then, after a few tens of metres on the
left, past the first rather modest dwelling (called House of Adonis from a
painting depicting the hero loved by Aphrodite, V.2.21) you come across a
house with a solemn, ancient facade, which directly borders the imposing domus
of the Albucii, [see V.2.Orion and V.2.i, House of Silver Wedding/aka Domus of
L. Albucius Celsus]).
See Osanna, M. (2019). Pompei, il tempo ritrovato: le nuove scoperte. Milano, Rizzoli, (p.82).
According to CTP –
The excavated portions of this house are to be found on Mau’s plan of 1894.
This area is impenetrable; fairly recently, perhaps in 1984, the vicolo has been blocked where it meets with the Strada di Nola.
See Van der Poel, H. B., 1986. Corpus Topographicum Pompeianum, Part IIIA. Austin: University of Texas. (p.72).
According to Eschebach, this house was a –
Workshop/house with posticum to ‘i’, ?, either a manual worker’s house or a smith.
Narrow entrance corridor/fauces with large atrium testudinatum or yard with masonry podium (anvil or hearth?) and well/cistern.
Left near the entrance, large side room without window, two linked rooms, and on the back wall 2 rooms are visible but they are not excavated.
Excavated c.1893? Vicolo bricked up in 1984.
See Eschebach, L., 1993. Gebäudeverzeichnis und Stadtplan der antiken Stadt Pompeji. Köln: Böhlau. (p.134).
Vicolo dei Balconi, Pompeii. October 2022. Looking north from junction with Via di Nola.
V.2.20 Pompeii is centre left, lit by sunlight. V.2.21 is on the left behind V.2.20, in line with the ramp in the roadway.
Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
V.2.21 Pompeii. June 2018. Entrance to V.2.21 is still being excavated on the Vicolo dei Balconi past where the three people are.
Vicolo dei
Balconi, Pompeii. September 2021. Looking south between V.3, on left and
V.2, on right.
The entrance doorway to V.2.21 is on the
right, where the sunlight is shining onto the planking.
Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
V.2.21 Pompeii. October 2022.
Looking west through entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
Looking west along south wall of entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
Looking west along north wall of entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
On the west side of the atrium, the red and yellow walls of room A9 can be seen. See PAP press photos, below.
The room on its south side, on the west side of the impluvium, would appear to be the same room as we describe in our 2007 photos as the “third room on the west side of atrium”.
In 2007, we photographed the north-west corner of third room on west side of atrium, which would appear to be the same north-west corner as shown here.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking east from interior of atrium along entrance corridor.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking east across atrium towards doorway to room on south side of entrance fauces.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. South-east corner of atrium, with remains of structure, perhaps podium/hearth.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking towards south-east corner of large room on south side of entrance corridor.
V.2.21 Pompeii. Large room on south side of entrance corridor.
According to NdS,
“11th April 1894. Found in the room to the east of the atrium was –
Bronze - A candelabrum with friezes on the base, broken and restored, 0.121m. high.”
See Notizie
degli Scavi di Antichità, 1894,
p. 177, 11th April.
V.2.21 Pompeii. Large room on south side of entrance corridor.
According to NdS,
“24th August 1894. Found in the room on the east side of the atrium.
Terracotta. A damaged and fragmented amphora with an inscription.
Bronze. A hinge 72mm. long. A ring having some iron remains at a point in its diameter; diam. 70mm.
A stud to which a grooved ring was attached; diameter of the stud 43mm. Another almost similar.
Bone. Fifty-one circular hinges, eight large and forty-three small.
Glass. Small decanter/jug, 65mm. high.
See Notizie
degli Scavi di Antichità, 1894,
p. 314, 24th August.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking south into room in centre of south side of atrium.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. South-east corner of room on south side of atrium.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Cistern-mouth in south-west corner of atrium, looking south.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007.
Cistern-mouth in south-west corner of atrium, with doorway to room in centre of south side of atrium, on left.
This room was linked by a doorway to a room in the south-west corner, not photographed.
On the right is a doorway into the second room on the west side of atrium in the south-west corner.
V.2.21 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking north in second room towards wall with doorway linking to third room on west side of atrium.
On the other side of this wall, in the other room, according to Mau, was where a painting of Silenus and three Bacchantes was found.
V.2.21 Pompeii. Painting of Silenus and 3 Bacchantes.
According to Mau,
“Of house no.21, I will speak more when it has been completely excavated.
For now, I will limit myself to reproduce a painting existing on the left wall of a room almost facing the street door (but more to the left).
It showed a bacchic scene (a Silenus and 3 Bacchantes) taking place in an area closed by a wall interrupted by windows and above which were some trees.”.
(Un Quadro
esistente sulla parete sinistra di un vano quasi dirimpetto alla porta di
strada (piu a sinistra).
Era
rappresentata una scena bacchica (un Sileno e tre Baccanti) che si svolge in un
luogo chiuso da un muro interrotto da finestrine (delle quali veramente non si
vede lo scopo) e al disopra del quale compariscono degli alberi.)
See Bullettino
dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1894, p.60.
V.2.21 Pompeii. Second room on west side of atrium.
According to NdS –
“17th April 1894. Found in one of the rooms on the west side of the atrium, were –
Terracotta.
Small cooking pot/cauldron, with a mask in relief on its belly, broken on the edge, 0.105m high, diam. 0.135m.
Ordinary cooking pot/cauldron, without handles, 0.180m high, diam. 0.130.
Pasta-strainer/colander with two ledges which take the place of handles, diameter of the opening, 0.135m.
Ordinary vase with two handles, 0.240m high, diam.0.100m.
An ordinary bowl, diam. 0.232.
Ordinary vase, 0.238m high, diam. 0.118.
Bone. Deer horn fragmented into a tip, 0.425m long.
See Notizie
degli Scavi di Antichità, 1894, p. 177, 17th April.
Looking west across atrium from entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
At the rear of the impluvium, the decorated lower wall of the third room on the west side can be seen.
Looking south-west from entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
V.2.21 Pompeii. March 2020. Aerial view of excavations looking north-east across area.
The newly excavated room A1 is top with the yellow and red walls, room A20 is to its left and room A9 further left, both under the protective roof.
Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
Cubiculum excavated in 2018
V.2.21 Pompeii. May 2018.
Room A9 (as shown on PAP plan), looking north in a room in an adjacent house to V.2.15 and on the south side of the Casa di Orione.
Photograph Massimo
Osanna © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
This room would appear to be the room in the north-west corner of the atrium of V.2.21, which has now recently been excavated.
V.2.21 Pompeii. May 2018. Room A9 (as shown on PAP plan), north-west corner. On the north wall is a painting of figures with a cupid.
It is most likely a cubiculum (bedroom), due to the
presence on one side of the recess intended to house the headboard of the bed.
Si trattava
molto probabilmente di un cubiculum (stanza da letto), per la presenza su un
lato dell’incasso destinato a ospitare la testata del letto.
See http://pompeiisites.org/wp-content/uploads/Cartella-Stampa-Regio-V-8-gugno.docx
Photograph Massimo
Osanna © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
V.2.21 Pompeii. June 2018. Room A9 (as shown on PAP plan), north wall with a painting of wounded Adonis, Venus and cupids.
Photograph ©
Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
Photograph © Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
V.2.21 Pompeii. August 2018. Room A9 (as shown on PAP plan), painting of winged cupid at south end of west wall.
Photograph ©
Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
V.2.21 Pompeii. August 2018. Room A9 (as shown on PAP plan), looking towards south and west walls of the cubiculum.
The walls have a cornice at the top, under which are three rows of a yellow painted blockwork design.
Below this are red side panels with a yellow centre panel edged in black.
In the centre panel is the painting of the wounded Adonis with Venus and cupids.
At the north end of the west and east walls are recesses for a bed.
Photograph ©
Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
V.2.21 Pompeii. August 2018. Room A9 (as shown on PAP plan), looking south-west across room to V.2.15.
Photograph ©
Parco Archeologico di Pompei.
See video of room
on Corriere del Mezzogiorno TV: Pompei-ritrovato-quadro-adone-ferito