IX.7.25 Pompeii. Thermopolium, Popina, Hospitium of MM. Fabii Memor and Celer.

Linked to IX.7.24.  Excavated 1879, 1881.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. Combined plan of IX.7.25, IX.7.24 and IX.7.26. Based on plan in PPM.

See Carratelli, G. P., 1990-2003. Pompei: Pitture e Mosaici: Vol. IX. Roma: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, p. 870.

IX.7.25 Pompeii, on left, and IX.7.24, on right. December 2018. Looking south to entrances. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.7.25 Pompeii, centre, 1977.

Looking east along south side of roadway towards entrances with IX.7.24, on right. 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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IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south along fauces or entrance corridor “1”, in centre, and IX.7.24, Room “a”, on the right.

According to Mau, the doorway was capable of being closed in the evening by a beam slotted into the slits in the walls of the corridor on either side .

Another beam or girder would have leaned obliquely against the door and against the notched stone sunk into the flooring of the entrance corridor, at a distance of 1.70m from the lava threshold of the doorway.

The flooring of the corridor and the atrium was made from opus signinum made from crushed lava (lavapesto), instead of crushed brick or tile (cocciopesto).

The walls of the fauces, and the atrium were painted with a red background.

See Mau, in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1882 (p.177-8)

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south from fauces or entrance corridor “1”, across atrium “2” to tablinum, room “o”.

According to Della Corte, this spacious atrium, deprived of an upper floor, was adapted to the use of a hospitium and caupona.

The thermopolium, with the customary bench, was at number 24.

Here, the atrium, the kitchen, the two triclinia (installed in the tablinum and the ala), and various dormitories were destined for the use of a hotel.

Found in the atrium, was a graffito of a long list of foodstuffs, supplied to someone not known, but supplied on eight consecutive days.

This mentioned bread, wine, cheese, wine, oil, leeks, onions, beans, etc.  [CIL IV 5380]

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.197)

According to Cooley, the list seemed to record food, either sold or bought.

See Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge. (p.163)

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

VIII Idus casium I

pane(m) VIII

oleum III

vinum III

VII Idus

pane(m) VIII

oleum V

cepas V /

pultarium I

pane(m) puero II

vinum II

VI Idus pane(m) VIII

puero pane(m) IV

halica III

V Idus

vinum domatori |(denarius)

pane(m) VIII vinum II casium II

IV Idus

Hxeres |(denarius) pane(m) II

femininum VIII

tri<t=D>icum |(denarius) I

bubella(m) I palmas I

thus I casium II

botellum I

casium molle(m) IV

oleum VII

Servato

montana |(denarius) I

oleum |(denarius) I VIIII

pane(m) IV casium IV

porrum I

pro patella I

sittule(m) VIIII

inltynium I

III Idus pane(m) II

pane(m) puero II

pri(die) Idus

puero pane(m) II

pane(m) cibar(em) II

oleum V

halica(m) III

domato[ri] pisciculum II       [CIL IV 5380]

IX.7.25 Pompeii. March 2024. Reproduction of graffito from atrium, on display in exhibition entitled –

“L’altra Pompei, vite comuni all’ombra del Vesuvio”. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. March 2024.

Scheda informativa con i dettagli del graffito dell’atrio, esposto nella mostra dal titolo -

“L’altra Pompei, vite comuni all’ombra del Vesuvio”. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. March 2024. Information card with details of graffito from atrium, on display in exhibition entitled –

“L’altra Pompei, vite comuni all’ombra del Vesuvio”. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south across atrium “2”, with remains of impluvium.

On the left is the doorway to room “q”, then the entrance to corridor “p”, the tablinum “o”, and the doorway to small room “m”.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. December 2018. Square marble feature near impluvium in atrium. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. North wall of cubiculum “b”, on east side of entrance corridor.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Floor in cubiculum “b”, on east side of entrance corridor.

According to Mau, this flooring was of opus signinum (cocciopesto) and was decorated with thin lines of little stars composed of white and black stones.

The area for the couch/bed was on the right of the entrance doorway, divided from the rest of the room by a line of white stones.

See Mau in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1882, (p.177)

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Kitchen, on east side of atrium. Looking east to unexcavated.

According to Mau, “f” was the kitchen, with the latrine in “e”, “g” was a room annexed to the kitchen, room “i” was probably a small cupboard.

In room “g”, two amphorae were found with identical inscriptions, only one was completely preserved. and read as –

IX.7.25 Pompeii. Room “g”, inscription found on two amphorae.

See Mau in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1882, p. 180.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Room “q”, room in south-east corner of atrium, with remains of plaster decoration on south wall.

The zoccolo, shown here, and as was seen in the rest of the house, was higher than usual.

It was divided into panels by red and white bands and contained small paintings of animals and trophy vases.

On the wall above the zoccolo, the plaster was rough.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Corridor “p”, on east side of tablinum, looking south.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south along corridor “s”, leading to garden area.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. West wall of garden area “u”, with remains of moulded cornice.

According to Jashemski, Mau had said on the south garden wall (not photographed here), to the right (west) of the door leading to a back room, there was a painting of a kind of pavilion.

This was formed by four columns in which stood a large crater fountain (79cm high).

It was decorated with plant and animal motifs in high relief.

The jetting water fell back into the crater from a height of about 20cm.

Fortunately, Tatiana Warscher had photographed the now-destroyed detail.

She said this was found “at the base of the middle of the garden wall”.

Nothing remains today.

See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (No.96 on p.366).

The Tatiana Warscher photograph can be seen on page 367, fig. 430 of the same book.

Jashemski also included a mosaic fountain at IX.7.25, that we have included in IX.7.20.

See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.242).

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.89, no.446, he gives the location as IX.7.?)

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking into unexcavated area from IX.7.25

IX.7.20 from small room “v”, on south side of garden in IX.7.25. May 2005.

IX.7.24/5 Pompeii. July 2017. Looking south-west towards tablinum “o”,

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. July 2017. Looking south across atrium towards tablinum “o”.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking south in tablinum “o”, with doorway in west wall to a small room or cupboard, room “n”.

According to Mau, when this house was being used as a hospitium, both the tablinum and ala were probably used as triclinia.

However, he conceded that in this tablinum, the couches would have made access to the small room on the right very difficult.

The rear wall of the tablinum was painted with a white background in the middle, with red on either side.

A painted flying cupid could be seen on the white background, with a thyrsus in his left-hand, a cantharus in his right, and a red cloak on his back.

See Mau in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1882, (p.177 & 179)

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. South-east corner of cubiculum “m”, on west side of tablinum, with recess in east wall.

Originally the east wall was seen with a simple decoration of the Fourth Style with a narrow central panel on a red background, and with yellow side panels.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005.

South-west corner of atrium “2”, with part of doorway to cubiculum “m”, and south wall of ala/triclinium “l” (L).

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Room “l” (L), detail of atrium/ala wall.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Room “l” (L), south wall of ala/triclinium, on west side of atrium.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Room “l” (L), north-west corner of ala/triclinium.

According to Mau, this room served as a triclinium, on the right of the room the usual couch recess could be seen.

See Mau in Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1882, p.177)

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Room “l” (L), north wall of ala/triclinium.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Room “l” (L), north wall of ala/triclinium.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. December 2018. Looking towards north-west corner of atrium.

On the left is the ala/triclinium, on the right are the doorways to IX.7.24, and to the roadway. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

According to BdI –

Found in the atrium in a corner (19 Oct. 1880) the remains of a bronze or bronze-covered chest, i.e. plates with figurines, animals and bas-relief decorations, a lock plate and 2 handles; also « a crescent-shaped amulet (in bone) with a hole in the middle, ending at the two ends in the head of a phallus, length of the cord m. 0.04 ».

See Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica (DAIR), 1882, p. 178.

IX.2.25 Pompeii, in centre, IX.2.24, on left. December 2018.

Looking north towards entrance doorways in north-west corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005.

Remains of painted decoration on red background with “carpet design” from north-west corner of atrium “2”.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. December 2018.

Looking north into IX.7.24, from north-west corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. December 2018.

Looking north into IX.7.24, from north-west corner of atrium. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.

Below the rear of the arched niche are the remains of the hearth.

IX.7.25 Pompeii. May 2005. Looking north into IX.7.24, from north-west corner of atrium “2”.

Remains of hearth in atrium, below the fallen rear of arched niche, as described by Boyce (see IX.7.24).