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House of M. Fabius Rufus

Address: Regio VII, Insula 16
Area: 4973
Rooms: +40

The House of M. Fabius Rufus stands on Vico del Pharmacist Street. The house was first excavated in 1759 and again in 1910, 1940 and for several years between 1958 and 1980. The building consists of several houses that were combined to make up the largest common dwelling found so far in Pompeii (the area painted pink in the opposite plan is also known separately as the House of Maia Castritius). The House of M. Fabius Rufus is located to the west of the Pompeii forum. The complex is built on four levels with an entrance on the city side in the northeast corner of the building, corresponding to the third floor.

The entrance opens from the west side of Vico del Pharmacist and leads directly to a rather modest atrium. The atrium (a), having a central view, opens onto a terrace (b) through a wide doorway on the west side. This house, together with its neighbors on the western edge of Pompeii, was built over the old city wall after the 80s BC.

Plan House of M. Fabius Rufus (Pompeii)

House of M. Fabius Rufus - multi-storey building with a vertical layout. Therefore, entering the atrium, in order to get to the main reception rooms, it was necessary to go down the stairs to the lower levels, where the guest rooms were located. These rooms were brightly lit with large windows overlooking the Gulf of Naples. In ancient times, water splashed near the walls of Pompeii, but the lava from the subsequent eruptions pushed the coastline rather far away.

At the lower level of the complex, a staircase opens onto the landing (c), which was covered with a black mosaic floor, framed by a white double frame. On these steps were found the bodies of three people. Plaster casts of these bodies remain in place. The fourth body was found in the central hall.

The large central reception room (j) has a large bay window overlooking the sea (in the photo below). The room is decorated with frescoes in the fourth style with black panels, separated by frescoes of mythological content over the lower black decorative frieze. The upper zone contains a continuation of the mythological theme, alternating with small standing figures on black surface.

Kitchen of the House of M. Fabius Rufus. Surprisingly, the toilet was located here. Although in fairness they had a sewer with water from an aqueduct. But they also had their own water tank.

Items from the kitchen

Inner garden