IX.9.8 Pompeii. Bar and room.

Linked to dwelling at IX.9.9. Excavated 1887.

IX.9.8, on left, Pompeii. 1964. Looking towards doorways on east side of insula 9, on south side of Via di Nola. 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.9.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Looking south-east from Via di Nola towards the counter.

According to Cooley’s translation, CIL IV 3775 was found here, although she does give the location as IX.VII.8.

According to the note in Jashemski, this address is given as IX.vii.8, in Mau, RM (1889), p.30 and pl.1.

However Della Corte describes CIL IV 3775 as coming from the house “opposite the entrance” of the house of Aemilius Celer, which would be IX.8.8

Neighbours beg you to elect Lucius Statius Receptus duumvir with judicial power, a worthy man.

Aemilius Celer wrote this, a neighbour. You jealous one who destroys this, may you fall ill.

See Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge. (p.126)

See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.247)

See Della Corte, M., 1965. Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p.166)

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2005. Bar and counter, looking south-east.

IX.9.8 Pompeii. June 2012. Looking east across bar and counter. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

According to NdS, the usual sales-counter was situated near the entrance to the bar.

On the east wall was a painting of a gladiator, (the part that remained being 60 high x 50 wide) which had been covered over and a new layer of plaster applied on top.

When the upper layer fell, the painting reappeared on a white background.

The figure of the gladiator was armed with a crested helmet with perforated visor, a large, curved rectangular shield, and legging on his left leg.

Near his head the following inscription in black letters was read –

AEDIM • SVLL •  XLIX        

        V                               [CIL IV 3789]

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1889, p.126, (note the difference between XLIX above, and Sogliano’s XIIX below).

According to Jacobelli, Sogliano thought that AEDIM was what remained of the gladiator’s name.

His armour indicated that he was a Samnite.

XIIX was the number of contests that he had fought, and the letter V meant he was victorious in that particular contest.

SVLL showed that he belonged to the family “Sullana”.

See Jacobelli, L., 2003. Gladiators at Pompeii. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider.

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

]aedim(us?) Sull(anus?) XIIX

V      [CIL IV 3789]

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2006. East wall behind counter.

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2010. East wall behind counter.

IX.9.8 Pompeii. June 2012. Upper east wall, remains of painted decoration in north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Upper east wall, remains of painted decoration in north-east corner.

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2010. West wall of bar, with rear room. Looking south.

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2005.  Looking south across bar-room to rear room.

According to NdS, opposite the entrance opened the rear-room intended for the customers.

On the right pilaster of the doorway to this room, a figure of Mercury (0.62 high) was found painted on a red background.

He was shown with wings on his helmet and feet, and a green mantle wrapped around his left arm.

In his left hand he held a staff, and in the right hand he held his purse.

At his feet was a cockerel in the act of crowing. The figure of the cockerel was not without grace.

The room was decorated with red and yellow panels, and in the rear, south wall, was observed a painting (0.84 high x 0.33 wide) showing the three graces.

The painting was found largely destroyed.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1889, p.126

Items found in this rear room included a bronze corroded Imperial coin, a bronze ornamental head of a tiger, and an iron hoe.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1888, p.523

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Looking south to rear of bar, with corridor leading to IX.9.9.

According to NdS, this corridor had the latrine, a narrow storeroom and the stairs leading to the upper mezzanine, now destroyed.

The mezzanine was lit by a small window.

Between the narrow storeroom and the stairs was the rear doorway (posticum) IX.9.9, out onto the adjacent eastern roadway.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1889, p.126

IX.9.8 Pompeii. June 2012. Looking south-west towards side wall, with entrance at IX.9.8 in the centre right.

On the left behind the green plastic tape, the rear side entrance at IX.9.9 can be seen. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

IX.10 Pompeii, on left. May 2005.            Unnamed vicolo looking south.                              IX.9.9 and IX.9.8, on right.

IX.9.8 Pompeii. May 2006. Niche in unnamed vicolo around corner, outside IX.9.8 on east side.

IX.10 Pompeii, on left.                           Unnamed vicolo looking south.                                          IX.9.8, on right.

IX.9.8 (Side wall on left).

Looking north from unnamed roadway across the Via di Nola, towards V.4 (centre left) and V.5 (centre right). (Side wall of) IX.10 on right