Herculaneum VI.13. Casa del Salone nero or House of the black salon or room, linked to rear entrance at VI.11.
Excavated between 1939 and 1965.
According to Wallace-Hadrill, the main entrance led to the atrium/tablinum/peristyle with 4-sided colonnade; 10 reception rooms, 3 service rooms at back, with back door at no.11. Decoration in atrium area perished or poor. Elegant Style IV decorations in tablinum, passage, peristyle, and 4 surrounding rooms.
Wooden shrine in the large Salone nero, shrine in small lightwell at end of visual axis of house.
See Wallace-Hadrill, A., 1994. Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum. New Jersey: Princeton U.P. (p.206).
Camardo and Notomista show a photo of the wooden shrine and wrote of the extraordinary state of conservation of the carbonised wooden lararium in the form of a temple in antis, with columns surmounted with marble capitals, which had been found in the Casa and displayed there for a time.
See Camardo, D,
and Notomista, M, eds. (2017). Ercolano: 1927-1961. L’impresa archeologico di Amedeo Maiuri e
l’esperimento della citta museo. Rome, L’Erma di
Bretschneider, (p.254-55, Scheda 38, fig. 2 of shrine).
According to Guidobaldi, this house took its name from the large black painted oecus which was situated on the west side of the peristyle.
The house occupied the entire north-east corner of the insula.
The main entrance was at number 13, whereas the side entrance at number 11 led into a vestibule in the servants’ quarters; preserved here was the outline of the stairs leading up to an upper apartment, which was above these rustic rooms and the entire loggia of the peristyle.
Recovered in one of the rooms of the upper floor were fragments of wax tablets, originally placed on a shelf of painted wood, of complex recomposition and letters, but clearly relating to the freedman, L. Venidius Ennychus, who was active on the Herculaneum scene since 40 AD. He was probably recognised as the last proprietor of this house.
See Guidobaldi, M.P, 2009: Ercolano, guida agli scavi. Naples, Electa Napoli, (p.103-107).
(p.213-215 G1-4; p.256, H56; and p.262-263 H68-69), quoting from 39 wax tablets found on a wooden shelf.
Wallace-Hadrill wrote that found on the upper floor of this house was a basket full of at least 39 of the documents of Lucius Venidius Ennychus.
This bundle was of crucial importance to Ennychus because it guaranteed his status.
The earliest seems to date from AD 40-1 regarding a loan of money to L. Mammius Rufus.
Another recorded that on 24th July AD 60, he declared the birth of his daughter Venidia to his wife Livia Acte.
See Wallace-Hadrill, A. (2011). Herculaneum, Past and Future. London, Frances Lincoln Ltd., (p.142-3)
VI.13 Herculaneum, September 2015. Entrance doorway and vestibule.
VI.13 Herculaneum, September 2015.
Entrance doorway with carbonised wood. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
VI.13 Herculaneum, May 2011.
Looking south towards entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13 Herculaneum, September 2015. Entrance doorway with marble insets in the pavement.
VI.13, Herculaneum, April 2018. Upper entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Ian Lycett-King.
Use is subject to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License v.4 International.
VI.13, Herculaneum, 7th August 1976. Looking towards carbonised wood on upper
side of entrance doorway.
Photo
courtesy of Rick Bauer, from Dr George Fay’s slides collection.
VI.13 Herculaneum. August 2013. Detail from entrance doorway with carbonised wooden surround. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
VI.13 Herculaneum. May
2011.
Looking towards east side of entrance doorway, from corridor. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13 Herculaneum. May 2011.
Looking towards west side of entrance corridor, with carbonised wood. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13 Herculaneum. May 2011.
Detail from west side of entrance doorway, with carbonised wood. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13 Herculaneum. March 2008.
Detail from west side of entrance corridor, with carbonised wood. Photo courtesy of Sera Baker.
VI.13 Herculaneum. August 2013. Detail from right (west) side of entrance doorway, (see also VI.14). Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
VI.13/14 Herculaneum, September 2019.
Detail from right (west) side of entrance
doorway. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.13 Herculaneum, June 2014.
Detail from right (west) side of entrance doorway. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
VI.13 Herculaneum on left, VI.14 on right. May 2006.
Painted sign on pilaster between house entrance and shop. Looking south.
At the top is a painted figure.
The shop sign showed four jugs of different colours, naming and pricing the drinks sold here together with the shop sign AD CVCVMAS (Ad Cucumas), written above the jugs.
The painted graffiti NOLA in red letters can also be seen on the lower part.
VI.13/14 Herculaneum, June 2017.
Enhanced part of the shop sign showing four jugs of different colours, naming and pricing the drinks sold here together with the shop sign AD CVCVMAS (Ad Cucumas), written above the jugs. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
VI.13 Herculaneum. May 2006. Entrance doorway and vestibule, looking south.
VI.13 Herculaneum. April 2011.
Looking south from vestibule/entrance corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
Photo
courtesy of Rick Bauer, from Dr George Fay’s slides collection.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. January 2002. Looking
north-west towards the upper north facade of the atrium.
To the left, is the
doorway to the cubiculum on the west side of the north-west corner of the
atrium. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. Not dated.
Looking towards
blocked doorway in north wall of atrium, which would have led into the
shop-room of VI.14.
Photo courtesy of
Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. May 2003.
Atrium, looking
towards north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. Not dated. Looking towards blocked doorway in north wall in
north-east corner.
This blocked
doorway would have led into the shop-room of VI.12. Photo courtesy of Nicolas
Monteix.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. September 2003. Atrium, blocked doorway in east wall in north-east
corner.
The doorway to
cubiculum 5, is on the right. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. May 2003. Atrium, doorway in east wall in north-east corner.
The blocked doorway
would have led into the rear room of VI.12. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13/11
Herculaneum. September 2003.
Atrium, looking
towards doorway to cubiculum 5 in centre of east side, upper left. Photo
courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
On the west side, right, of the tablinum is a corridor that would have led through to the peristyle.
On the right, the west ala can just be seen – a kitchen, set up in place of the original ala 7.
VI.13 Herculaneum, June 2014. Looking south across impluvium in atrium.
On the right, the west ala can just be seen – a kitchen, set up in place of the original ala 7. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. January 2002.
South wall of
kitchen, which would originally have been used as the west ala, 7.
Photo courtesy of
Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13 Herculaneum. August 2013.
Looking south across impluvium in atrium. On the right is a corridor that would have led through to the peristyle. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
VI.13 Herculaneum. September 2017.
Looking south from atrium along corridor leading to peristyle, on the right is the west wall.
Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.13 Herculaneum. October 2020. Detail of painted decoration on east wall of corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.13 Herculaneum. October 2020. Detail of painted decoration on east wall of corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.13/11, Herculaneum. May 2004. Corridor
between tablinum and oecus. Detail from east wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas
Monteix.
VI.13 Herculaneum. October 2020. Detail of painted decoration on east wall of corridor. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. May 2004. West wall of corridor between tablinum and room on its
west side, an oecus.
This corridor would
have led from the atrium to the peristyle but was later closed at the southern
end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13/11, Herculaneum. May 2004. Corridor
between tablinum and oecus. Detail from west wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas
Monteix.
VI.13/11, Herculaneum. May 2004.
Corridor between tablinum and oecus. Detail
from west wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13/11,
Herculaneum. May 2004.
Corridor between
tablinum and oecus. Detail from west wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.
VI.13 Herculaneum, May 2001. Looking south across impluvium
in atrium. Photo courtesy of
Current Archaeology.
Towards the front of the tablinum, the floor had been revived with a few inserts of coloured marble.
VI.13 Herculaneum, May 2006.
Marble impluvium in atrium with limestone puteal, set in floor of cocciopesto with regular pieces of inset white limestone tesserae.
VI.13 Herculaneum. April
2008.
Detail of
north-east corner of impluvium. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.