Herculaneum Ins. Orientalis II.4. Entrance to the large vestibule of the Palaestra and the area at its rear.

Excavated 1933-54.

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Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015. Looking north to rear of Ins. Orientalis II, on left.

The decorated walls in the photos below, belong to the large rooms on the left.

The first one, on the extreme left, described as the large vaulted room on north side of large entrance hall.

The roofed one, on the left, described as Room A.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015.

Looking towards north wall of large vaulted room on north side of large entrance hall.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015. Detail of decorated north wall.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015. Remains of vaulted ceiling.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, March 2014. Looking west towards roofed Room A, in centre.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, June 2005.

Looking west across large terraced area to wall between two rooms on north side of entrance hall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, December 2004.

Looking west across large terraced area, to two rooms on north side of entrance hall, with room A, on right.

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006.

Looking west across large terraced area, detail of wall with room A, on left. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006.

Looking west across large terraced area, towards doorway to room leading into Ins. Orientalis II.7, on right.

On the left is a room at the north end of the terrace of the west portico. At its rear is Room A.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006. South-east corner of the vestibule, in front of the room A. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006.

Detail from south-east corner of the vestibule, in front of the room A. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006. Detail from south-east corner of the vestibule. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004. Room A, decoration on south wall, at east end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006. Room A, decoration on south wall, at west end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004. Room A, decoration on south wall, at west end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004. Room A, decoration on south wall at west end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006. Room A, detail of decoration on south wall at west end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. June 2006.

Room A, detail of decoration on south wall at west end. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004. Room A, decoration on west wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004. Room A, north wall decoration. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004.

Room A, north wall decoration. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004. Room A, detail from decoration on north wall. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015. Looking north-east across west portico.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015. Remains of a bourbon tunnel.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015. Columns on west portico.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, August 2013. Looking north-east along the portico. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, October 2012. Looking north along the portico. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2015.

Looking north towards upper terrace, which would have overlooked the Palaestra.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, March 2014. Looking north towards upper terrace, which would have overlooked the Palaestra.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, May 2006. 

Looking north towards upper terrace, which would have overlooked the Palaestra.

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, April 2018. Looking north. Photo courtesy of Ian Lycett-King.

Use is subject to Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License v.4 International.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, March 2014. Looking north along columns on west portico.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, March 2014. Detail of columns on west portico.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, September 2004.

Looking north along west portico of palaestra. The entrance to the large apsed room can be seen, centre left.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, December 2004.

Looking towards wall on west side of portico with remains of painted decoration. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum. December 2004.

Side doorway leading to large apsed room, looking north along west side of portico. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, August 2013.

Looking west from Palaestra towards large apsed room, the Aula Absidata. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.

This room, according to Deiss, had some forty feet of its height still remaining.

At the rear was a large niche in which would have stood a statue of an emperor, or even Hercules.

In front of the niche was the heavy marble table on which the victor’s olive crowns and other prizes were placed.

From this room, the boys and young men would have marched out again, down the steps and out around the arena before the games began.

See Deiss, J.J. (1968). Herculaneum, a city returns to the sun. London, The History Book Club, (p.127).

According to Parslow, in February 1761 a shaft was sunk from one of the upper level rooms of the Palaestra down into one of the rooms flanking the great apsidal hall.

By luck this narrow shaft dropped directly onto a series of small mounted paintings resting on the mosaic floor and leaning up against one wall.

See Parslow, C. C. (1998). Rediscovering Antiquity, Cambridge Univ. Press, (p.148-149, and fig.41)

According to Grasso, these small mounted paintings were provenanced from Ins. Orientalis II.4, 19 and are now in Naples Archaeological Museum.

They include NAP inv. no. 9019 p.164, no 47,

NAP inv. no. 9020 p.165 no 48,

NAP inv. no. 9021 p 163 no 46,

NAP inv. no. 9022, p.162 no 45, 

NAP inv. no. 9735 p.136, no 26,

NAP inv. no. 9726 p.135, no 25, and

NAP inv. no. 8993, p.110, no.8,

and these can also be seen on the web-page for Ins. Orientalis II.19.

See Bragantini, I, and Sampaolo, V, eds. La Pittura Pompeiana. Naples, Electa.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, March 2014. Looking north-west towards large apsed room from west portico.

Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, October 2012. Looking north-west from Palaestra towards large apsed room, on right.

According to Maiuri, the room on the south side, on left, of the large apsed room was the room in which the paintings (seen in the next Part) were found.

Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, October 2023.

Looking west to doorway to room on south (left) side of the large apsed room (Aula Absidiata).

Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, October 2023. South wall of room on left side of Aula Absidiata. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, October 2023.

Looking towards west wall of room on left side of Aula Absidiata. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, October 2023.

Looking towards north wall of room on left side of Aula Absidiata. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, June 2006.

Doorway to room on south side of large apsed room. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, June 2006.

Detail of wall on north side of doorway/window of room. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

Ins. Orientalis II.4, Herculaneum, June 2005.

Detail of wall on north side of doorway/window of room. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Monteix.

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