VI.15.20 Pompeii. Casa di Stlaborius Auctus. Excavated 1897.

According to the plans of the insula in Notizie degli Scavi, 1897, (pages 14, 269 and 460) the doorways on the west side of the insula were numbered with Roman numerals, this doorway was shown as No. VI.

VI.15.20 Pompeii, on left. September 2005.       Vicolo del Labirinto looking south.                       VI.11, on right.

According to NdS, on the left of the entrance doorway would have been a masonry seat.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Entrance doorway, looking east.

According to NdS, the wide entrance corridor was entered by a step at the (west) road end of it.

The corridor had a high dado of black plaster.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, June 1897, (p.273)

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking east from entrance across wide vestibule to atrium.

According to NdS, the lower part of the walls of the atrium showed the same high dado, that was partitioned into large panels by white lines.

According to Della Corte, in this rustic house of modest size, lived M. Stlaborius Auctus.

He thought this because of a seal/signet found here -

M. Stla(borius) Auctus  [CIL X 8058, ]

See Della Corte, M., 1965. Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.61, S.87)

However in 1913, he had written

“M. Stlaborius Auctus, proprietario probabilmente della casa no.23, Reg.VI. Ins.XV, come sembra provare il sigillo recante il nome di questo Pompeiano e raccolto nella casa indicata” (NdS, 1897, p.323)

“M. Stlaborius Auctus, owner probably of house number 23, Reg. VI, Ins. XV, as it seems proved by the seal/signet showing the name of this Pompeian and found in the house indicated” (See Notizie degli Scavi, 1897, p.323)

See Della Corte, M., 1913, Memorie della Reale Accademia di Archeologia, Lettere e Belle Arti, Vol. II, (p.197)

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Remains of impluvium in atrium.

According to NdS, in the middle was the impluvium that had a rather high parapet wall, which was curved internally.

On the east side of the impluvium, there was a terracotta puteal.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking west at remains of structure against west wall of atrium.

According to NdS, a hearth was leaning against the wall, to the left of the entrance.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, June 1897, (p.274)

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005.

Looking north from atrium, towards doorways to triclinium, centre, and corridor leading to kitchen and latrine, on the right.

According to NdS, the corridor had walls faced with white and coarse plaster.

The doorjambs of the doorway to the triclinium had portions of red plaster, covered in the last years by other rustic facings of lime.

The walls were faced with brick plaster (laterizio), in the west wall were two small windows overlooking the vicolo.
In the east wall was a rectangular recess, faced with red plaster.

In the excavated earth, a piece of red plaster was retrieved with the figure of a flying psyche (0.16m), and a graffito:

PLATOR.

On the pilaster dividing between the triclinium and corridor, Sogliano could read a graffito on the black dado:

IIROS

IIVRVS

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, June 1897, (p.274-5)

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. North wall of triclinium.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Remains of painted wall decoration.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking north-east from atrium towards doorways to corridor to kitchen, left, and oecus, centre.

According to NdS, only the lower part of the walls of the oecus were faced with white plaster, partitioned by black lines.

In the south wall was a small niche.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, June 1897, (p.275)

In the room to the north of the tablinum, the doorway on the right of this photo, a pile of lime prepared for work was found, together with some tiles. (p.274)

VI.15.20 Pompeii. 4th August 1897 tile with name.

According to NdS, found on 4th August 1897 in the room where the pile of lime was found, were two tiles with names.

The first showed a completely new mark (see above).

On the second could be read M. ARRIVS M L      [CIL X, 8042,19]. 

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, August 1897, (p.340).

See also VI.15.16, where a similar seal was found.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, November 1897, (p.461-2)

VI.15.20 Pompeii. July 2008. Downpipe visible in wall of upper level. Photo courtesy of Barry Hobson.

According to Hobson –

Reg. VI had two upper storey latrines that still had visible signs of the latrine above the ground floor level, these were in VI.15.20 and VI.15.22.

See Hobson, B., 2009. Latrinae et foricae: Toilets in the Roman World. London; Duckworth. (p.75)

According to Eschebach, the corridor on the north side of the atrium led to the kitchen and latrine which had a downpipe from the upper floor.

See Eschebach, L., 1993. Gebäudeverzeichnis und Stadtplan der antiken Stadt Pompeji. Köln: Böhlau. (p.223)

VI.15.20 Pompeii. July 2008. Looking north in latrine. Photo courtesy of Barry Hobson.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. North-west corner of kitchen.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Structure against north wall of kitchen.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Broken pot near north wall of atrium, between doorway to kitchen and oecus.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking east from atrium towards narrow tablinum.

According to NdS, this room had walls of white coarse plaster, and nothing of particular was noted here.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. South-east side of atrium, with tablinum, left, and doorway to cubiculum, right.

According to NdS, this room also had walls of white coarse plaster.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking west from cubiculum in south-east corner of atrium, towards entrance doorway.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking east towards south-east corner of atrium.

VI.15.20 Pompeii. September 2005. Looking west across atrium towards doorways to cubiculum, on left, and entrance doorway, in centre.

According to NdS, the cubiculum had a mezzanine above it, and had walls of coarse white plaster.

In the north wall it had a rectangular recess.

In the east wall was another rectangular recess, in which the holes for shelving supports could be seen.

In the west wall was a window overlooking the vicolo.

In 1897 when excavated, in the proximity of the left doorjamb of the cubiculum, or north of it in the atrium, was another terracotta puteal.

In the west wall of the atrium was a brick niche, and in the south wall were the holes for the joists that probably supported a mezzanine. The holes were at a height of 3m. from the ground level.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, June 1897, (p.274)