As with a number of excavated Pompeian households, interpreting the possible functions and sequence of events that shaped the layout and decoration of the Casa del Sacello Iliaco is a difficult task. The process of understanding the various aspects of the house are complicated by the disruptive effects of the earthquake in A.D. 62 and the calamitous volcanic eruption in A.D. 79. The phase that stretches from roughly before the quake up until the eruption saw the house undergo many functional changes which entailed a number of attempts at restoration and redecoration.
The entranceway a, judging from the stuccoed cornice on the architrave and the scattered coloured tessarae used for the pavement, served only as a decorative entrance to the house. The front hall b seems to have been the domestic center of the house. Findings such as the bone hinges, upright doors of cupboards and the cupboard in the corner of the room that contained glass and ceramic vessels suggest its function as a typical Pompeian hall and a decorative storage area for domestic items. Parts of the roof of the hall collapsed after the eruption, thus dropping some of the items from the upper floor onto the sheet of lapilli below. The coarse plastering and lack of any breaches testify to the preservation of the room and rules out rearrangement after A.D. 62.
Rooms c and d, not unlike the rest of the house, seem to have been in the process of decoration when the earthquake hit. The Fourth Style decoration originally intended for room c was left unfinished after the quake and used for storage instead. The variety of items found in this room range from two pestles, ten bronze feet to weapons and a glass bottle suggest that the initial plan for the room to be turned into a dining area was abandoned to make way for a storage room. Room d was complete with Fourth Style dcor before the quake.
Archeology 2
The ornamental bed with the Julio-Claudian coin above it suggests that it was later turned into a makeshift bedroom.
The stairway st leads to room l which seems to have been used as a downgraded bedroom suggested by the placement of a bed in a room with incomplete decoration. The hazelnuts that were left in the room suggest that the occupants left in a hurry possibly at the time of the eruption.
The Fourth Style decoration in room i was completed before the quake and seems to have been designed to function as a dinette. A similarly ornamental room is room h. Since there are no breaches in the walls, the volcanic deposits probably came in from the hall b or the upper floor. This room appears to have been used as a storage area for valuables like statues and jewelry. Room e was partially decorated in the Fourth style the blue frieze, cornice of ovoli and the size of the room suggesting that it was possibly meant to be a religious area. But as with the other room, this one was downgraded as well and used as another storage area, mostly for domestic items such as glass vessels. Yet another storage area was room f. The remnants of one cupboard found there revealed mostly domestic items such as glass and bronze vessels, and some possibly valuable items such as the two iron and ivory furniture legs. The fish bones found in one of the vessels suggest that the room had been abandoned in a hurry.
Corridor g leads to the courtyard m which served as an open area. The gypsum left over from the repair work that was found here suggests the repairs had been stopped or abandoned. The random other findings like the axe could possibly have been used during the time work was being carried out. One of the rooms around the courtyard, room n was used as a kitchen the cooking hearth, tripod and cooking vessels testify to this. The building materials found in the adjacent room o suggest that it was being used as a makeshift storage area around the time of the eruption.
Rooms r and s1 is another room which was possibly meant to be a functional space but ended up being abandoned unfinished. Rooms p and q were decorated in the Second Style which indicates that they belonged to the Casa del Criptoportico before they were bought. Both rooms are ornamental and were possibly intended to be converted to the Fourth style at some later stage. Neither of the rooms yielded any findings which indicates that they were not inhabited at the point of the eruption. A wooden mallet and a mortar were found along with gypsum in room s which suggests it was being used as a preparation area for the plaster. Although the work seems to have ceased a while before the eruption, the room was not cleaned up or inhabited. The large breach in one of the room walls makes it hard to accurately state what was held in the room. Finally, the upper levels above the courtyard m yielded mostly valuables such as lamps, cosmetic items and some domestic items like ceramic vessels. The upper rooms seemed to have been used for either storage alone or both storage and occupancy.
Based on the information gathered from the remains of the house, Casa del Sacello Iliaco seems to have been divided into three functional zones during the final occupancy. Rooms c, d and l were used as makeshift bedrooms. All the other rooms from the entrance a to the courtyard m were used as storage areas for domestic items and valuables. The back part of the house, including the rooms acquired from Casa del Criptoportico were largely neglected and used as storage areas for building materials.
The entranceway a, judging from the stuccoed cornice on the architrave and the scattered coloured tessarae used for the pavement, served only as a decorative entrance to the house. The front hall b seems to have been the domestic center of the house. Findings such as the bone hinges, upright doors of cupboards and the cupboard in the corner of the room that contained glass and ceramic vessels suggest its function as a typical Pompeian hall and a decorative storage area for domestic items. Parts of the roof of the hall collapsed after the eruption, thus dropping some of the items from the upper floor onto the sheet of lapilli below. The coarse plastering and lack of any breaches testify to the preservation of the room and rules out rearrangement after A.D. 62.
Rooms c and d, not unlike the rest of the house, seem to have been in the process of decoration when the earthquake hit. The Fourth Style decoration originally intended for room c was left unfinished after the quake and used for storage instead. The variety of items found in this room range from two pestles, ten bronze feet to weapons and a glass bottle suggest that the initial plan for the room to be turned into a dining area was abandoned to make way for a storage room. Room d was complete with Fourth Style dcor before the quake.
Archeology 2
The ornamental bed with the Julio-Claudian coin above it suggests that it was later turned into a makeshift bedroom.
The stairway st leads to room l which seems to have been used as a downgraded bedroom suggested by the placement of a bed in a room with incomplete decoration. The hazelnuts that were left in the room suggest that the occupants left in a hurry possibly at the time of the eruption.
The Fourth Style decoration in room i was completed before the quake and seems to have been designed to function as a dinette. A similarly ornamental room is room h. Since there are no breaches in the walls, the volcanic deposits probably came in from the hall b or the upper floor. This room appears to have been used as a storage area for valuables like statues and jewelry. Room e was partially decorated in the Fourth style the blue frieze, cornice of ovoli and the size of the room suggesting that it was possibly meant to be a religious area. But as with the other room, this one was downgraded as well and used as another storage area, mostly for domestic items such as glass vessels. Yet another storage area was room f. The remnants of one cupboard found there revealed mostly domestic items such as glass and bronze vessels, and some possibly valuable items such as the two iron and ivory furniture legs. The fish bones found in one of the vessels suggest that the room had been abandoned in a hurry.
Corridor g leads to the courtyard m which served as an open area. The gypsum left over from the repair work that was found here suggests the repairs had been stopped or abandoned. The random other findings like the axe could possibly have been used during the time work was being carried out. One of the rooms around the courtyard, room n was used as a kitchen the cooking hearth, tripod and cooking vessels testify to this. The building materials found in the adjacent room o suggest that it was being used as a makeshift storage area around the time of the eruption.
Rooms r and s1 is another room which was possibly meant to be a functional space but ended up being abandoned unfinished. Rooms p and q were decorated in the Second Style which indicates that they belonged to the Casa del Criptoportico before they were bought. Both rooms are ornamental and were possibly intended to be converted to the Fourth style at some later stage. Neither of the rooms yielded any findings which indicates that they were not inhabited at the point of the eruption. A wooden mallet and a mortar were found along with gypsum in room s which suggests it was being used as a preparation area for the plaster. Although the work seems to have ceased a while before the eruption, the room was not cleaned up or inhabited. The large breach in one of the room walls makes it hard to accurately state what was held in the room. Finally, the upper levels above the courtyard m yielded mostly valuables such as lamps, cosmetic items and some domestic items like ceramic vessels. The upper rooms seemed to have been used for either storage alone or both storage and occupancy.
Based on the information gathered from the remains of the house, Casa del Sacello Iliaco seems to have been divided into three functional zones during the final occupancy. Rooms c, d and l were used as makeshift bedrooms. All the other rooms from the entrance a to the courtyard m were used as storage areas for domestic items and valuables. The back part of the house, including the rooms acquired from Casa del Criptoportico were largely neglected and used as storage areas for building materials.
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