House of the Ephebus
also known as the House of P. Cornelius Tuges derives its name from
the statue of Ephebus (a bronze copy of the Greek original from the
5th century BC), found here. It was possible to get into this
mansion from the street Vicolo dell Efebo (Vicolo dell'Efebo). At
the time of the eruption, the hosts chose to flee the city and
perhaps they succeeded. In any case, they locked the doors, and the
bodies were not found here during archaeological excavations. Today,
you can get to House of the Ephebus from the side entrance as the main gate
is closed. The main gate of the house is closed with a cement
replica of wooden doors, which remain hinged. Of course, organic
matter decayed, but the void remained. Scientists simply poured
cement into the cavity and got an exact copy of the door.
The
House of the Ephebus occupies a large plot of Insula 7. The mansion was
huge in size since it was built after three houses were bought by
one owner and joined into one. This is quite a wide practice in
Pompeii. Moreover, new houses were not demolished. Therefore, the
mansions were sometimes for centuries with only minor changes and
repairs.
It contains beautiful frescoes of the
fourth style. The House of the Ephebus was named after the bronze statue
of Ephebus (pictured below). The volcanic wave, when it covered the
house, has not yet lost some of its inertia. This is evident from
the force with which the bronze statue was taken down from its
place. The right arm and leg broke off and were found in the atrium
(g) although initially it was in the room (m).
Ephebus (ancient
Greek ἔφηβος) - in ancient Greek society - a young man who reached
the age when he acquired all the rights of a citizen (that is, about
18 years), becoming a member of Ephebian - a community of young
people - citizens of a polis or a republic. From now on, the young
man became military service and was involved in military service.
A short corridor leads to the atrium (b) or the living room of the
house. The northern and southern walls were decorated with strips in
the fourth style with white panels with ornamental borders and
figures above the bottom white decorated frieze. On the wall behind
the room (s) on the south side there is a painted Lararium with a
niche above. This is a simple home altar, dedicated to the gods -
the patrons of the house or the ancestors of the family. Along the
north wall there is a flight of stairs leading to the upper floor.
On either side of the rows are the rooms (c), which are
decorated with frescoes in the fourth style. On the western side of
the atrium is a large exedra, which may have been originally a table
or office. Room (d) is decorated with frescoes in the fourth style
with white panels with decorative borders on a white background
above the bottom white decorative frieze.
Summer house in the garden. Here guests had fun in the warm summer months of the year. In the niche, apparently there was a bronze statue, but it was thrown aside by the power of the pyroclastic flow.