Evidence of Roman living culture: Archaeologists have discovered a house in Pompeii that initially appeared modest, but was similarly elegantly decorated as larger neighboring buildings. In addition to particularly beautiful frescoes with mythological and erotic scenes, the team also came across a richly decorated house altar. Inside they discovered remnants of the last sacrificial ritual before the city’s fall.
The earth shook, then the top of the volcano exploded and the catastrophe began: During the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, the Roman city of Pompeii was buried under a huge layer of rubble and ash. Centuries later, as is well known, this ancient misfortune became an archaeological stroke of luck: since the 18th century, systematic excavations in Pompeii have provided spectacular insights into city life in the Roman Empire. But although large parts of the city have now been uncovered, the archaeological potential has not yet been exhausted: in some areas, structures still lie hidden under deposits and are waiting to be discovered.
The current finds come from excavations on the area of the “Insula dei Casti Amanti” in the center of Pompeii. This is a block of buildings in the city that included several residential units. In one corner of the complex, the archaeological team came across the remains of an unusual house. It is relatively small with an area of around 120 square meters. In addition, it does not have a typical building element of upper-class Pompeian houses: the atrium, which is often surrounded by columns and has a water basin. In theory, it would have been possible to install a small version, say the experts. According to them, the lack of an atrium fits with further evidence that Pompeian society partially broke away from such traditions in the first century AD.
Elegant wall decorations
As it turned out, the house was not generally more modest than the larger units with atriums on the Insula dei Casti Amanti. Because it has just as high-quality wall paintings as the neighboring house, Casa dei Pittori al Lavoro. The most striking work of art has now earned the newly identified house the name Casa di Fedra. It is a fresco on the wall of a room at the back of the building. It depicts a scene from the tragic story of Phaedra and Hyppolytus from Greek mythology, which is about unrequited love, suicide and revenge.
In the same room, further depictions from classical mythology can be seen on the walls, which are beautifully decorated with ornaments. A fresco shows a so-called symplegma scene: an erotic flirtation between a satyr and a nymph.
There is also a painting depicting a divine couple – probably Venus and Adonis. However, a third fresco in the room is damaged and cannot be clearly assigned. But it probably showed the judgment of Paris, which, according to legend, ultimately led to the Trojan War.
A shrine with traces of the last offering
As the team reports, the house did not have an atrium, but it did have a kind of small courtyard in which there was a pool with red-painted walls that was connected to a cistern. In the entrance area of this courtyard, the archaeologists found a so-called lararium with elegant decorations. This is a cult shrine with a niche for offerings that was dedicated to the guardian spirits of the house or family.
In the upper part of the Lararium you can see a bird of prey holding a palm branch in its claws. In the lower part two snakes are depicted facing each other and framing an altar on which offerings – including an egg – can be seen.
The team also made interesting discoveries in the niche of the cult shrine: they found an incense burner, a lamp and a knife that ends in a round hook on which it could be hung. These objects were used in offerings to the house spirits, the experts explain.
Through laboratory analysis, traces of branches of aromatic plants and the remains of a dried fig were also identified in materials from the niche. These finds therefore have a symbolic character: they are apparently the traces of the last offering in the Casa di Fedra before the eruption of Vesuvius.
Source: Pompei Archaeological Park