Herculaneum III.1.
Casa dell’Albergo, rear entrance on Cardo III Inferiore, linked to III.2, 18
and 19.
Completely excavated
between 1928-29.
Casa dell’Albergo, had already been partly brought back into the light during the old excavations.
See Pesando, F. and Guidobaldi, M.P. (2006). Pompei, Oplontis, Ercolano, Stabiae. Editori Laterza, (p.316)
According to Guidobaldi, this large dwelling with the curious unusual name was derived from a wrong identification of the use of the building at the moment of the partial 18th century excavation.
See Guidobaldi, M.P, 2009: Ercolano, guida agli scavi. Naples, Electa Napoli, (p.58).
Wallace-Hadrill wrote that this enormous and very prestigious house was excavated in nineteenth century excavations and was unreported, and now ruinous. The main entrance would have been at number 19.
Peristyle, area 31,
and rooms on north and south of it
Herculaneum, photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.
Looking east towards lower rooms of Casa dell’Albergo,
(III.1/2/18/19) and area of the beachfront. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
Herculaneum, photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.
Looking east from access bridge towards lower rooms of Casa dell’Albergo, (III.1/2/18/19) and area of the beachfront.
Photo courtesy of
Giuseppe Ciaramella.
Looking east from access bridge towards lower rooms of Casa dell’Albergo, (III.1/2/18/19) and area of the beachfront.
Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. Drawing of rooms of lower
level.
See Maiuri, A., 1958. Ercolano,
I Nuovi Scavi (1927-1958). (p. 333, fig. 263.)
Herculaneum, photo taken between October 2014 and November
2019.
Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
The access footbridge, on the left, leads onto the roadway Cardo
III.
In the centre is the Casa dell’Albergo with its portico and rooms below it. On the right is the Sacred Area.
Herculaneum, March 2014. Sacred Area terrace, looking towards the north-west corner.
On the upper floor is an area with windows giving light and air to
the rooms on the lower floor of the Casa dell’Albergo (III.1).
Area a, doorway from corridor on lower floor, and a’, on drawing
of plan above.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, March 2019.
Looking north-east from access bridge towards lower rooms of Casa dell’Albergo with the portico and terrace on the floor above.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR
On the left are the service rooms - G, H, I, L, M, as seen on above 1958 plan. (Note
these numbers differ on the 2006 plan).
According to Maiuri –
“The rustic rooms (G – M), which close off
the underground rooms on the west side, semi-destroyed and buried, are for
their own disposition and orientation in service for the two large oeci for
rest and dining: in room G the trace of a hearth remains; in room I some steps
(h) hint at the presence of a cellar or repository below.”
Next
to the service rooms – corridor at rear, room F in front, next to room E, in
centre, with room D, at its rear.
According
to Maiuri –
“The
corridor…… leading to beautiful rooms E-D, F. which opened at one time towards
the view of the coast and sea……. The only living rooms were therefore the rooms
E-D and F, of which only the first is well preserved, while the other, with the
collapsed vault and the basement floor, only the perimeter walls are preserved.
(Note 130 below).
The
room E-D with two access doorways and vestibule, covered with a high
barrel-vault (5.50m), with remains of “star” decoration, as in the vault of the
entrance vestibule of the Palestra, (Note 131 below) has
flooring of good signinum and mosaic tesserae geometrically arranged in
lozenges and hexagonal diamonds: the wall decoration showed a black zoccolo and
large alternating areas of red and black, without any traces of ornamental
bands and friezes. It has the character of an oecus triclinium, but nothing
that reveals its supposed and imagined function as a sacellum. The wall,
preserved only to a low height, that closes this oecus on the south side and
the subsequent room F, would have run along the edge of the escarpment and
opened with large windows in order to illuminate the rooms well and allow the
free view of the coast and the sea.”
(Note
130 reads – Bonucci's report (Ruggiero, op.cit, p.580: 27 April 1855) refers to
the demolition of this unsafe vault. To diminish the sad effect of that
demolition, he only mentions a room with a kitchen (G), while it should be
treated as the demolition of one or more vaults that covered room F and the
other rustic rooms in that quarter.)
(Note
131 reads - Bonucci's curious report (Ruggiero, op.cit, p.577: 5 August 1852) refers
to the design of this vault: "vault covered with coloured marble and
painted with singular friezes and panels". And equally inaccurate was the
information (ibid.) that the room had "an apsidal wall at the back".
See Maiuri, A., 1958. Ercolano, I Nuovi Scavi
(1927-1958). (p. 333-4).
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023. Looking
north towards lower rooms. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, October 2023. Looking
north towards lower rooms beneath peristyle area. Photo courtesy of Klaus
Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023.
Looking north from
access roadway towards area of rooms G, H, I, L, M, on west side of lower
floor.
Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023.
Looking north-west
from access roadway towards remains of oven/hearth in room G.
Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.
According to Pagano –
“Nelle altre localita che restano dall’altro lato della
strade, (….. da Ins.II/1…..), allo stesso livello di detti magazzini, eravi una
officina di panizzazione, argomentandosi da un forno ivi trovato, di cui resta
qualche avanzo, e pel rinvenimento di diversi grandi vasi in terracotta che
contenevano farina”.
(In
another place that remains on the other side of the roadway, (…..from Ins.
II/1…..), and at the same level of these warehouses, there was a bakery,
arguably from an oven found there, of which remains some leftovers, and from
the discovery of several large terracotta pots which contained flour.)
See Pagano, N. Descrizione degli Scavi di Ercolano,
1870. (p.29).
According
to Maiuri, he thought room G would appear to be the services (kitchen) for the
two large sitting rooms (oeci) –
“Gli ambienti rustici (G-M) con cui si chiede a ponente
il quartiere sotterraneo, semidistrutti e interrati, sono per loro stessa
disposizione e orientazione in servizio dei due grandi oeci di soggiorno e di
convito: nell’ambiente G resta la traccia di un focolare; in corrispondenza
dell’ambiente I alcuni gradini (h) accennano alla presenza di un cellaio o
repositorio sottostante.”
(The
rustic rooms (G – M), which close off the underground rooms on the west side,
semi-destroyed and buried, are by their very arrangement and orientation in
service of the two large oeci for rest and dining: in room G the trace of a
hearth remains; in room I some steps (h) hint at the presence of a cellar or storage
room below.)
See Maiuri, A., 1958. Ercolano, I Nuovi Scavi
(1927-1958). (p.334).
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, October 2023.
Looking
towards north wall of room G, with doorway into a corridor leading to a doorway
onto Cardo III (blocked).
Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023.
Doorway in north wall
of room G, with remains of oven/hearth against west wall.
Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023. Room G,
remains of structure in north-east corner.
In the east wall, on
right, is a doorway into the corridor running east at rear of main rooms.
Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.
Looking towards doorway to corridor to upper floor, centre left, and room F, centre and right. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, October 2023.
Looking
north from access roadway towards room F, with corridor at rear.
Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023.
Looking north-east
from access roadway across room F, with corridor at rear.
Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023.
Room F, looking
towards north wall. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023.
Room F, looking
towards north wall and corridor at rear. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19,
Herculaneum, October 2023. Looking
north-east from access bridge towards lower rooms. Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, September 2015.
Looking north-east from access bridge towards lower rooms of Casa dell’Albergo with the portico and terrace on the floor above.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, August 2013.
Looking north-east from access bridge towards lower rooms. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, June 2011.
Looking north-east from access bridge towards lower rooms. Photo courtesy of Sera Baker.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, June 2011.
Looking north-east from access bridge towards lower rooms. Photo courtesy of Sera Baker.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, April 2018. Looking north towards lower rooms of Casa dell’Albergo at east end, on right.
Photo courtesy of Ian Lycett-King. Use is subject to Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License v.4 International.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Looking north from
access roadway towards room E, with room D at its rear.
Photo courtesy of
Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October 2023.
Room
E, west wall with remains of painted yellow decoration. Photo courtesy of Klaus
Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
North wall of room E
with doorway into room D. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Room E, east wall with
doorway into a corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Looking towards north
side of room B. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Looking towards
north-west side of room B. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Detail from north-west
side of room B. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October 2023.
Detail
from north wall of room B. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Looking towards north
wall and north-east corner of room B. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Looking towards north-east
corner of room B, with doorway in east wall. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Looking towards room
on east side of lower floor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
North wall of lower
room on east side. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. October
2023.
Detail from west end
of north wall. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
Herculaneum, June 2011.
Looking east from Ins. III, showing depth of solidified ash still to be excavated below the upper entrance road/ramp.
Photo courtesy of Sera Baker.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, June 2012. Looking north from access roadway towards upper and lower rooms, on right.
Note the access bridge now leads to the southern part of the roadway at Cardo III. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, August 2021. Looking north
towards upper (ground) level rooms, on left.
On
the right are the House of the Mosaic Atrium, and the House of the Stags, with
terraces above the beachfront.
Photo
courtesy of Robert Hanson.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.
Looking towards
upper and lower levels. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, October 2022.
Looking north from access roadway towards upper and lower rooms. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, September 2019.
Looking north from access roadway towards
upper and lower rooms, on left. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, March 2008. Looking north from access roadway towards upper and lower rooms, on right.
Note the access bridge leading onto the southern large terrace with remains of collapsed massive square pilasters.
Photo courtesy of Sera Baker.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, October 2001. Looking north from access roadway towards upper and lower rooms, in centre.
Note the access bridge used to lead onto the southern large terrace with remains of collapsed massive square pilasters.
Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1/2/18/19, Herculaneum, October 2022.
Looking north from access roadway towards southern large terrace (room 22) with remains of collapsed massive square pilasters.
Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
Looking west towards access bridge above solidified depth of ash/volcanic debris, leading towards Ins. III.
March 2008. Photo courtesy of Sera Baker.
III.1 Herculaneum. August 2021.
Looking east to wall on south side of entrance doorway, on left, and across rooms. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015.
Looking towards entrance doorway on east side of Cardo III Inferiore. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2019.
Area 31, looking across garden area towards north side, and north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1, Herculaneum. March 2019. Area 31, looking across garden area towards north side, and north-east corner.
Foto Annette
Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
III.1, Herculaneum. March 2019. Area 31, looking across garden area from west side towards north side, and north-east corner.
Foto Annette
Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
III.1 Herculaneum, April 2013.
Area 31, looking across garden area towards north side, and north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1 Herculaneum, 7th August 1976. Area 31, looking across garden area towards north-east corner.
Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer, from Dr George Fay’s slides collection.
III.1 Herculaneum, August 2021. Area 31, looking north across garden area. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 31 peristyle, mosaic floor of south portico of upper floor.
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2022.
Room 31 peristyle, looking north-west across mosaic floor in south portico of the garden area. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 31 peristyle, looking east across mosaic floor in south portico of the garden area.
III.1 Herculaneum, April 2016. Room 23, looking east across room 25 towards wall of room 24. Photo courtesy of Pauline Case.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015.
Room 24, looking south along east wall, and through window into room 25, both rooms opening out onto terrace 22.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 24, looking south.
According to Guidobaldi, on the south side of the peristyle were the most prestigious reception and living rooms (rooms 23, 24, 25 and 26).
With the sole exception of oecus 26, the others all looked out onto the large southern terrace with massive square pillars (22), largely collapsed by the failure of the vaults below.
See Guidobaldi,
M.P, 2009: Ercolano, guida agli scavi. Naples, Electa Napoli, (p.58).
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015.
Room 31 peristyle, looking towards south-east corner of south portico, and entrance doorway with mosaic threshold into room 23.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 23, looking south from peristyle 31.
Ins. III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 23, threshold, looking west.
III.1/19 Herculaneum. Photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.
Room 23, threshold, looking west. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
Ins. III.1 Herculaneum, October 2020. Room 23, detail of continuation of threshold mosaic. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.19/18/1, Herculaneum, August 2013. Room 23, detail of mosaic threshold. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
III.19/18/1, Herculaneum, 7th August 1976. Room 23, detail of mosaic threshold.
Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer, from Dr George Fay’s slides collection.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 23, looking towards west wall.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 23, detail of floor in south-west corner.
III.1 Herculaneum. August 2021. Room 23, looking towards south wall with doorway. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
III.1 Herculaneum, April 2016. Room 23, looking towards south wall with doorway. Photo courtesy of Pauline Case.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 23, south wall with doorway.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Room 23, east wall.
III.19/18/1, Herculaneum. October 2012.
Room 23, looking towards doorway on south-east side of portico from peristyle, 31. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2020.
Looking south-east from corner of area 31, towards rooms on south side of house. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015.
Looking east from south-east corner of area 31, towards wall to corridor 17 and rooms 8, 12, 9, 10 etc.
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2023.
Area 31, looking across garden area towards north-west corner. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2019.
Area 31, looking across garden area from south-east corner, towards west side, and north-west corner, from east portico.
Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1/,2/18/19, Herculaneum. 1968. Area 31, looking north-west across garden area. 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.
J68f1821
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2020. Area 31, looking north along east portico. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2019.
Area 31, looking north along east portico, with doorway to atrium, centre right. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Area 31, looking east from portico across atrium 2 towards entrance vestibule 1, and III.19.
III.1 Herculaneum, September 2015. Area 31, threshold from east portico to atrium, looking east.
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2014. Area 31 peristyle, Looking west across east portico. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2023. Area 31, looking across garden area towards south-west corner. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.1 Herculaneum, photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.
Area 31, east and north portico, looking south-west across peristyle garden. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
III.1 Herculaneum. August 2021.
Area 31, looking towards north-east corner, with doorway to room 34, on left. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
III.19/18/1 Herculaneum, October 2014. Looking south-east across room 34, towards doorway into room 32.
From north-east corner of Peristyle 31. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2014.
Area 31, looking west along north portico, from near room 34. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.1 Herculaneum, October 2014. Area 31 north portico of peristyle, looking north into room 44. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.19/18/1 Herculaneum, October 2014.
Area 31, looking north-west from north portico, towards room 47 and 46 (including entrance at III.2), on left.
On the right is room 45 with doorway and steps, linking through corridor to room 44. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.19/18/1 Herculaneum, October 2014.
Looking east along corridor towards room 44. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.19/18/1 Herculaneum, August 2021. Area 31, looking
south-east. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
III.19/18/1 Herculaneum. March 2019. Area 31, looking south-east from north-west corner.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC
Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
III, 1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. May 2006. Area 31, Looking south-east across sunken peristyle.
III.1/2/18/19 Herculaneum, May 2001. Area 31, looking south
across large sunken peristyle. Photo
courtesy of Current Archaeology.
III, 1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. 1978. Area 31, looking south-east. 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.
J78f0526
III, 1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. 1957. Area 31, sunken garden area from west portico (67). 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.
J57f0437
III. 1/2/18/19, Herculaneum. May 2006. Area 31, looking south from west side of large sunken peristyle of III, 1/2/18/19.
Note - the
access bridge to the site used to lead onto the southern rooms and peristyle.
III, 1,2,18/19, Herculaneum. 1978.
Looking south from garden area 31 towards the south portico, towards remains of house. 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.
J78f0525
III, 1,2,18/19 Casa dell’Albergo, Herculaneum. 1978. South-west corner of area 31. 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.
J78f0524
III, 1,2,18/19, Herculaneum. 1957. South-west corner of area 31. 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.
J57f0438