Herculaneum III.17. Casa dell’ Ara Laterizia or House of the Brick Altar.
This small, long and narrow house, had preserved the form and dimensions of its original plan of the pre-Roman period, until the end
Looking west along the long and narrow entrance corridor, with a large room on its north side, one arrives at the small atrium in which there was no trace of an impluvium. On the west side of the atrium were two small rooms, probably bedrooms, which were separated by a corridor leading to the courtyard and other rooms. Opening onto the courtyard were a bedroom, the triclinium, a stair-room with latrine below them, and at the back on a lower level but in an area possibly covered by a roof, was the large masonry domestic lararium, which has given the modern name to this house. Above the altar, on the wall, was a panel of stucco with a cornice in relief, but no trace of any picture remains.
See Pesando, F. and Guidobaldi, M.P. (2006). Pompei, Oplontis, Ercolano, Stabiae. Editori Laterza, (p.328)
According to Wallace-Hadrill, this house had a non-impluviate atrium, a backyard and 6 rooms. It was ruinous but there were still traces of decoration in one room.
See Wallace-Hadrill, A., 1994. Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum. New Jersey: Princeton U.P. (p.199).
III 17, Herculaneum, May 2024. Entrance doorway, on west side of Cardo IV Inferiore. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III 17, Herculaneum, May 2024. Entrance doorway, on west side of Cardo IV Inferiore. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III 17, Herculaneum, September 2015. Entrance doorway, on west side of Cardo IV Inferiore.
III.17, Herculaneum, July 2015. Looking west to entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III 17, Herculaneum, October 2014. Looking west to entrance doorway with bench outside. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III 17, Herculaneum, October 2022.
Looking west through entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III 17, Herculaneum, September 2015. Looking west along entrance corridor.
According to Jashemski, the little courtyard at the rear of this small narrow house, excavated 1927-9, may have had a few potted plants.
The impressive brick altar built against the rear wall, according to Maiuri, was probably in an area roofed to form a Sacellum.
See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.260).
III.17, Herculaneum. Large brick altar, possibly in a sacellum.
According to
Maiuri –
“Infine, al fondo al cortile, addossata al muro della parete, in un’area coperta probabilmente da tettoia, ad un livello alquanto più basso di quello del cortile, come un vero e proprio sacello, trovasi una grande e bell’ara laterizia di notevoli dimensioni e di esecuzione assai piu accurata di quanto non ci si attendesse dal resto della casa (fig. 361). Al disopra dell’ara era sulla parete un pannello a stucco riquadrato da una bassa e larga cornice a rilievo: accanto all’ara, si raccolse un’aruletta di travertino. Della pittura murale che doveva fiancheggiare l’ara e riempire il campo del pannello, nessuna purtroppo benché minima traccia.” (Note no. 217).
(Finally at the end of the courtyard, leaning against a wall, in an area probably covered by a canopy/roof, at a somewhat lower level than that of the courtyard, like a real chapel, there is a large and beautiful brick altar of considerable size and of much more accurate execution than expected from the rest of the house (fig.361). Above the altar there was a stucco panel on the wall, framed by a low and wide frame in relief: next to the altar, a travertine small altar was found. Of the mural painting that was supposed to flank the altar and fill the field of the panel, unfortunately there is no trace.)
See Maiuri, A.,
1958. Ercolano, I Nuovi Scavi, (1927-1958). Vol.1. Roma: Inst. Poligrafico dello Stato, (p.422, fig.361).
Opening onto the courtyard were a bedroom, the triclinium, a stair-room with latrine below them, and at the back on a lower level but in an area possibly covered by a roof, was the large masonry domestic lararium, which has given the modern name to this house. Above the altar, on the wall, was a panel of stucco with a cornice in relief, but no trace of any picture remains.
See Pesando, F. and Guidobaldi, M.P. (2006). Pompei, Oplontis, Ercolano, Stabiae. Editori Laterza, (p.328)
The impressive brick altar built against the rear wall, according to Maiuri, was probably in an area roofed to form a Sacellum.
See Jashemski, W. F., 1993. The Gardens of Pompeii, Volume II: Appendices. New York: Caratzas. (p.260).
III 17, Herculaneum, September 2015. North wall of entrance corridor.
III 17, Herculaneum, October 2022.
Looking west along south wall of entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III 17, Herculaneum, September 2015. South wall of entrance corridor.
III 17, Herculaneum, October 2014. Looking west along entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
III.17 Herculaneum, August 2013. Upper part of walls and vaulted ceiling in entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
III.17 Herculaneum, October 2022.
Looking west along entrance corridor towards small atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III.17 Herculaneum, August 2013. Looking west along entrance corridor towards small atrium. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
III.17 Herculaneum, October 2022.
Remaining painted decoration in cubiculum at rear (west side) of atrium. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
III 17, Herculaneum, September 2015. Cardo IV Inferiore, looking north along bench/seat on north side of entrance doorway.
Cardo IV Inferiore, Herculaneum. 1935. Photo by Fratelli Alinari (I.D.E.A.). Alinari No 43137 (1935) oN.
Looking north from III.17, Casa dell’Ara Laterizia or House of the Brick Altar, on left, and IV.2, Casa dell’ Atrio a mosaico or House of the Mosaic Atrium, on right.
The colonnade in the centre of the photo is outside III.14, Casa a Graticcio or House of the Wattle Work (Opus Craticium).
Used with the permission of the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford. File name instarchbx116im013 Resource ID 42232.
See photo on University of Oxford HEIR database
III.17, Herculaneum, September 2016. Carbonised bread, found in this location, now in deposits. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
According to Monteix –
apart from dividing the upper area into six portions, the shape of the cut implies the use of a cord to model the dough during its rise.
An unreadable seal has been applied to the upper surface.
See Monteix, N.
2010. Les lieux de métier. Boutiques et ateliers d’Herculanum. Ecole
française de Rome, (p.153).