House of the Trebius Valens (Pompeii)

Location: Regio III, Insula 2

Area: 540 square meters
Rooms: 15

The House of Aulus Trebius Valens was excavated in 1913- 15. Its facade was covered by graffiti that proclaimed new events at the amphitheatre as well as political propaganda urging people to vote for particular contenders. Unfortunately much of plaster at the front of a building was destroyed by bombings in September 1943. Only few inscriptions survived war years. One of the inscriptions state: "20 pairs of gladiators of Gnaeus Allius Nigidius Maius, quinquennial, and their substitutes will fight without any public expense at Pompeii".

The House of Aulus Trebius Valens was finally excavated in 1952. Further restoration work was carried out only at the beginning of the 21st century. Archeologists found four bodies of people who once lived here in the peristyle of the House of Aulus Trebius Valens.

House of the Trebius Valens (Pompeii)

There is a standard atrium (that is, a living room) and a garden in the House of Aulus Trebius Valens. A short corridor (a) leads to a square living-room atrium (b). At the entrance to the atrium, the checkered polychrome decoration of the back wall of the garden is immediately noticeable, which peeks through the table and immediately catches the eye. The rest of the house is more simply decorated, mostly frescoes in the third style. In the southeastern corner of the atrium there is an ocher room (d), which can be reached through a small room (d). The eye is decorated with frescoes in the third style with images of birds and other animals painted on a black background above the bottom black frieze.

In the southwest corner of the atrium, a staircase leads to the upper floor. The second floor of the House of Aulus Trebius Valens is almost not preserved and it is closed for tourists. Next to the staircase is a room-cubatum (c) decorated with frescoes in the second style. The name of the owner is scratched on one of the walls. The decoration consists of panels of red and yellow colors, located behind a series of illusory columns. The room is illuminated by a small window located high on the western wall. Immediately to the north of this room is ala, which is decorated with frescoes in the third style of white panels containing small images of birds, framed by a narrow red line above the bottom red frieze.

A chest with precious objects, bottles and personal items was found in the cubulum room (c ') on the eastern side of the atrium. Archaeologists suggest that it was the bedroom of a mistress. Usually the bedrooms were located on the second floor, and the contents of the chest indicates that it belonged to the woman who lived in this room. The cubiculum is decorated with frescoes in the second style on a white background and shows a small circular window above the entrance doorway. In the back of the atrium, in the center of the north wall, is a tablin (f) that goes out but does not give access to the peristyle and garden in the north.