Address: Regio VII, Insula 4
Area: 1618 square meters
Rooms: +40
The House of the Colored Capitals, also known as
the House of Ariadne, stands in Insula 4 with entrances in Via degli
Augusti in the south and Via della Fortuna in the north. The third
entrance to the House of the Colored Capitals was through a side door on
the north side connected with the store (c).
The building of
the House of the Colored Capitals was first excavated in 1822, and then
again in 1832/33 and 1846. The House of the Colored Capitals is one
of the oldest in Pompeii and is a mixture of Samnite and Roman
architecture. It is also one of the largest in Pompeii, with an area
of more than 1600 square meters with more than 40 rooms on
the first floor. Most of the second floor was destroyed during the
eruption.
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The House of Colored Capitals got its name from the columns of the central peristyle, whose capitals were painted in bright colors. The alternative name comes from a series of frescoes found in the house, depicting the story of Ariadne. Ariadne, as is well known, lived on the island of Crete in the palace of her father, King Minoah. According to legend, she helped Theseus get out of the labyrinth after he killed the Minotaur. She gave the Athenian hero a thread, thanks to which Theseus was able to get out of the labyrinth together with other Athenian boys and girls. The thread of Ariadne has become a kind of symbol. Theseus was going to marry Ariadne, but on the way back the gods ordered to leave Ariadne on the island. The young man was so upset that he forgot to change the sails of their ships. Theseus promised his father Egea that if he could kill the Minotaur, he would change them from black to white. Aegea, seeing the black sails, decided that his only son had died. He rushed off the cliff. Since then, the sea became known as the Aegean.
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Theseus leaves Ariadne (Bottom left)
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