Herculaneum IV.4. Casa dell’ Alcova or House of the Alcove. Excavated 1928-29.
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According to Wallace-Hadrill, this doorway led to the central courtyard, with colonnade on one side, leading to rear with garden courtyard and pseudoperistyle (with two-sided colonnade, also steps down to central courtyard in previously separate house and corridor with light-well with single sided colonnade. Architecturally unusual suite here with apsed and vaulted rooms give the house its name.
The whole of the habitation on the ground floor is formed by the rectangles of two adjoining houses originally independent and then joined into one, with a large communicating doorway in the vestibule of the main entrance. The dwelling that unfolds along the axis of the entrance corridor, with a very narrow long ground plan, is extremely rustic and humble. Whilst the house on the lower level, to the south, is a far more distinguished house and must have formed the dwelling quarters of the master of the house.
See Maiuri, Amedeo, (1977). Herculaneum. 7th English ed, of Guide books to the Museums Galleries and Monuments of Italy, No.53 (p.30).
IV.4 and IV.3 Herculaneum, on left, photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.
Looking north along front façade on east side of Cardo IV.
Above the doorways are the remains of the
holes for the support beams of a long overhanging gallery. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Entrance doorway, looking east.
IV.4 and IV.3, Herculaneum. July 2015.
Looking towards both entrance doorways. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. October 2012. Entrance doorway in centre. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. May 2006. Entrance doorway, with doorway to steps to upper floor, on the south side.
IV.4 Herculaneum. May 2011.
House name-plaque with detail of brickwork. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Threshold to entrance doorway.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. North side of entrance corridor, with doorway to room 1.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014.
Doorway to room 1, looking north-west with window in west wall overlooking Cardo IV Inferiore.
Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014.
Upper west wall above window, with holes for support beams of at least three floors. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Room 1, east wall and south-east corner. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Doorway to room 2, in south side of entrance corridor.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Doorway to room 2, in south side of entrance corridor.
IV.4 Herculaneum. October 2012.
Room 2, looking south through doorway towards the room with the steps. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. October 2012.
Room 2, looking south through doorway towards the room with the steps. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Room 2, east wall.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015.
Room 2, looking north-west. The doorway, left of centre, is the doorway leading to the steps to the upper floor at IV.3.
IV.4 Herculaneum. October 2014. Room 2, looking north-west. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Room 2, west wall with window.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Looking east from entrance corridor/vestibule. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. May 2006.
Looking from entrance corridor/vestibule towards small courtyard 3 with an open courtyard 6, at rear.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2017.
Looking west from open courtyard 6, towards
small courtyard 3, and through to entrance corridor. Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2017.
Looking west towards
column in courtyard area. Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014.
Looking towards north wall of courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4, Herculaneum, September 2019.
Looking towards north side of courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IV.4, Herculaneum, April 2013.
Looking north-west
from open courtyard 6, towards small courtyard 3, and towards doorway to room
4. Photo courtesy
of Klaus Heese.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2020.
Looking towards doorway to room 4 in west
wall of small courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014.
Doorway to cubiculum 4, on west side of small courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Doorway to cubiculum 4, and upper west wall of small courtyard 3.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014.
Courtyard 3, upper west wall and north-west corner of small courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. May 2006. Courtyard 3, upper west wall.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Courtyard 3, floor in north-west corner.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Courtyard 3, north wall.
IV.4, Herculaneum, photo taken between October 2014 and November 2019.
Courtyard 3, upper north wall of small courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Courtyard 3, upper north wall of small courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. October 2012. Courtyard 3, detail from painted north wall. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Courtyard 3, flooring and north wall.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Courtyard 3, looking towards north-east corner and east wall. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns
IV.4 Herculaneum. May 2006. Courtyard 3, north-east corner.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Courtyard 3, window in east wall.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Courtyard 3, detail of protection on north side of window in east wall.
IV.4 Herculaneum, August 2021. Courtyard 3, east wall, looking south-east across open courtyard 6. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Courtyard 3, east wall, looking south-east across open courtyard 6.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Courtyard 3, east wall, looking east across open courtyard 6. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Doorway to cubiculum 4, looking west.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Room 4, south wall of cubiculum.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Room 4, west wall of cubiculum.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Room 4, looking towards west wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2020. Room 4, west wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IV.4 Herculaneum. May 2006. Room 4, west wall of cubiculum.
IV.4 Herculaneum. October 2014. Room 4, detail from west wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. October 2020.
Room 4, north-west corner of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Room 4, north wall of cubiculum.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Room 4, upper north wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2020.
Room 4, detail of painted decoration from upper north wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Room 4, detail from north wall of cubiculum. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Room 4, east wall of cubiculum with doorway to small courtyard 3.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014.
Room 4, east wall of cubiculum with doorway to small courtyard 3. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Looking east across small courtyard 3 into open courtyard 6.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Open courtyard 6, looking east from courtyard 3.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Open courtyard 6, looking north-west towards doorway to room 4. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015.
Open courtyard 6, looking towards west wall with window from courtyard 3, and north-west corner.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Open courtyard 6, west wall with detail of window from courtyard 3.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Open courtyard 6, looking north to a sort of slightly raised exedra.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Open courtyard 6, looking north-east across flooring towards the slightly raised exedra.
IV.4, Herculaneum, October 2014. Open courtyard 6, looking north-east. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
IV.4 Herculaneum. September 2015. Open courtyard 6, east wall with window into room 8, an oecus.
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