Pompeii House of the faun & Villa of Poppaea Oplontis PBM

THE HOUSE OF THE FAUN The House of the Faun built during the second century BCE, was one of the largest, most impressive private residences in Pompeii, Italy, and housed many great pieces of art

HISTORY The House of the Faun was built in the second century BC, during the Samnite period ( BCE).There is evidence, most notably in the eastern walls of the tetrastyle atrium, that after the great earthquake in 62 CE, the House of the Faun was rebuilt or repaired; yet, the building was only used as a house from the second century BCE until 79 CE, ultimately rendered unusable by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Although the eruption was devastating, the layers of ash covering the abandoned town preserved artworks, like the mosaics of the House of the Faun, which would have otherwise been likely destroyed or decayed due to the passage of time. The House of the Faun was named for the bronze statue of the dancing faun located, originally, on the lip of the impluvium, a basin for catching rainwater; it has been moved to the centre of the impluvium, as you can see in the picture to the right. Fauns are spirits of untamed woodland, which Romans often connected to Pan and Greek satyrs, or wild followers of the Greek god of wine and agriculture, Dionysus. Archaeologists discovered an inscription bearing the cognomen Saturninus, suggesting that the dwelling was owned by the important clan, Satria; a ring bearing the family name Cassius was also found, indicating that someone of the Cassii family married into the gens Satria and lived in the House of the Faun.

ARCHITECTURE The House of the Faun covers nearly 3,000 square meters, and occupies an entire city block, or insula. The house can be divided into four major parts: the Tuscan atrium, tetrastyle atrium, service rooms and corridors, Like many ancient Roman houses, the House of the Faun had tabernae, and a highly-sophisticated building plan, which details the many rooms. The entrance is decorated by the Latin message “HAVE”, a greeting both for meeting and parting. Like other wealthy aristocrats of the Roman Republic, the owners of the House of the Faun installed a private bath system, in the house. The bathing room was located in the domestic wing, which was to the right of the entrance, and along with the kitchen was heated by a large furnace. The servants’ quarters were dark and cramped, and there was not much furniture. The house features beautiful gardens, the second of which was created as a stage to host recitations, mimes, and pantomimes. Additionally, the house contained an entrance passage, a number of bedrooms (cubicula), dining rooms (triclinia) for both the summer and winter, a reception room (oecus), and an office (tablinum).

Building Layout

REMAINS Today visitors can still explore the remains of the House of the Faun in modern Pompeii. Although most of the original artworks have been relocated to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, the most famous pieces, like the Dancing Faun and the Alexander Mosaic, have been recreated to give tourists a clearer picture of what the house was originally like. Pietro Giovanni Guzzo, Pompeii’s current archaeological superintendent, explained, “I want visitors to have the impression that they are entering the same luxurious house in which the ancient Pompeian owners lived before it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Greek Influence Greek influence has been seen in Pompeii, the House of the faun, through the building styles with the use of Doric and ionic style buildings. Also in the house of Faun there is a mosaic of Alexander in the battle of Issus 333 b.c.e who was a hero of greece.

ARTWORK From the house of the faun there were many interesting and impressive artworks left behind. the following slides will mention the most notable of the artworks found.

The Alexander Mosaic

The Creeping Cat Mosaic

Mosaic with Nile scene

Erotic mosaic of a satyr and nymph

Dancing Faun

The villa of Poppaea One of two elite villas from Roman Oplontis, a small town whose name survives on the Tabula Peutingeriana, an ancient map of Roman Imperial Roads Discovered in 1964, the villa was excavated over the next twenty years to reveal an otium style villa, an elite holiday home used as a summer retreat from the city. The style and extent of the building suggested it was an important residence and it was linked to Poppaea Sabina, second wife of the Emperor Nero whose native town was nearby Pompeii. The oldest part of the house, which follows the classic atrium style, dates to the mid first century AD. However, after this date, probably as a result of a change of ownership after Nero’s death, a series of extensions were added on the property which were still in progress at the time of Vesuvius’s eruption of 79AD. Tabula Peutingeriana

Though the site of the villa was rediscovered during brief excavations carried out by Francesco La Vega in the eighteenth century, the swimming pool, which measures 60 by 15 meters, was not unearthed until the 1970s. The archaeological evidence suggests that at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, the villa was empty, being in the process of rebuilding and redecoration, possibly in the aftermath of the earthquake of 62.

The Original House The original house was the main residential area. At its centre was the atrium, the traditional roman reception room. The atrium of the villa Poppaea had the usual roof top opening, the conpluvium which allowed rainwater to be collected in a central pool, the impluvium, which was once the household’s main water supply. The main function of the atrium of the Villa Poppaea was to impress. A vast room, it contained 2nd style murals, which incorporated landscapes and mythological scenes as well as columns and porticos which increase the scale of the room. Immediately opposite the entrance would have been a series of folding doors which opened up to overlook a small peristyle garden. The rest of the original house was constructed around the atrium. The rooms immediately surrounding it were lavishly decorated and designed to be seen.

The Extension of the Villa of Poppaea This area was primarily recreational, centering on the swimming pool and large northern gardens. Overlooking the pool, a series of guest suites were added, each with their own sitting rooms and viridarium, a small enclosed internal garden.