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House of M. Obellius Firmus, Pompeii

Address: Regio IX, Insula 14
Area: 1950 square meters
Rooms: +35

The House of M. Obellius Firmus, also known as the Casa di MM. Obellii Firmi (referring to a father and son both named Marcus Obellius Firmus) or the Casa del Conte di Torino (House of the Count of Turin), is a significant archaeological site in the ancient city of Pompeii. Located in Regio IX, Insula 14, with its primary entrance at IX.14.4 on the south side of Via di Nola and a rear entrance at IX.14.2, this large domus spans approximately 1,950 square meters and encompasses over 35 rooms. It exemplifies elite Roman residential architecture from the late Republic and early Empire periods, originating in the Samnite era (pre-80 BCE, when Pompeii was under Samnite control) and undergoing restoration at the time of Mount Vesuvius's eruption in 79 CE. The house's design reflects the wealth and status of its owners, featuring a blend of functional spaces for daily life, business, and leisure, while incorporating elements like a secure safe that highlight economic prosperity in Pompeian society.

History and Ownership

Dating back to the Samnite period, the house was originally two separate properties that were merged into a single expansive residence, resulting in an irregular layout with duplicated features such as dual atriums set at right angles. This merger likely occurred under the ownership of the Obellii family, a prominent Pompeian lineage. The name derives from electoral inscriptions found on the walls and inside the building, identifying M. Obellius Firmus as a key figure. M. Obellius Firmus served as a duovir, one of Pompeii's highest magistrates responsible for civic administration, justice, and public works. He was honored posthumously by the city's decuriones (council) with a substantial funeral allocation of 5,000 sesterces—more than double the typical 2,000 sesterces granted to other officials—indicating his elevated status. There may have been a father-son duo with the same name, as suggested by the "pater et filius" designation. The family's tomb is believed to be in the necropolis near the Nola Gate. At the time of the eruption, restoration work was ongoing, leaving some walls with rough plaster awaiting final decoration.

Excavation Details

The house was excavated in phases: initially in 1888, followed by further digs in 1903, 1910, and 1911. Reports from Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità (1911) detail discoveries, including a large iron money chest found on June 11, 1911, leaning against a pilaster in the atrium. Human remains were a poignant find: In September 1911, 28 skeletons were noted in the entrance fauces (corridor), preserved in situ for visibility from the street. By October, excavators identified four adults and two youngsters, possibly not residents of this house but refugees from an adjacent property who tunneled through a wall during the eruption, only to be trapped by falling lapilli (volcanic pumice). Contemporary accounts, including a 1912 New York Times report and later scholarly works, suggest these included Obellius Firmus, his wife, two children, and two slaves, with some bodies found holding hands or entwined. The site has been documented extensively since, with modern photos showing preserved elements like door casts and structural details.

Architectural Layout

The house's layout is complex due to its origins as two merged properties, creating an atypical plan with two atriums, a peristyle garden, and connections to side streets. It features multiple entrances: the grand front doorway at IX.14.4 with benches on either side and original bronze hinges, and a rear at IX.14.2. The structure extends upward to a full upper floor covering nearly the entire ground level, accessible via three staircases (one from each atrium and one in the peristyle), with windows overlooking the garden. Central to the design are the two atriums: the primary tetrastyle atrium with four Corinthian columns supporting the compluvium (roof opening), and the secondary Tuscan-style atrium without columns. These connect to a three-sided peristyle colonnade surrounding a garden, which unified the original separate buildings. Service areas include a kitchen linked to a bath-house heated by the oven, hidden behind a corridor to the peristyle.

Key Rooms and Features

Primary Atrium (B): The heart of the house, cubic in shape with a central impluvium (rainwater basin) for collecting water. It housed a marble table on a pedestal (cartibulum) for family business, a pedestal basin, and a satirical fountain. In the northwest corner stood a lararium (household shrine) dedicated to the Lares and Penates, protective deities.
Tablinum (H): The main reception room at the atrium's rear, with rough plaster walls (awaiting decoration) and pilasters featuring bronze fittings shaped like warship prows with bulls and rostra. It connects via doorways to a triclinium (dining room) and the peristyle, with a preserved plaster cast of a wide wooden door.
Secondary Atrium: Tuscan style, linking the primary atrium and peristyle, with its own tablinum adorned in Second Style frescoes (architectural illusions from around 80-20 BCE).
Cubicula and Alae (e.g., 25, 26, K, L): Bedrooms and wings off the atriums, some with bed recesses, beam holes for shelving, barrel-vaulted ceilings, and traces of wooden staircases to the upper floor. Room K featured white plaster panels.
Triclinium (24) and Oecus: Dining and large reception halls with plaster casts of wooden shutters; the oecus connects to the peristyle.
Peristyle and Garden: A colonnaded garden area with smaller reception rooms and sleeping quarters, some retaining fine wall decorations.
Kitchen and Bath-House: The kitchen, accessed via a corridor, doubled as a heat source for the adjacent baths.

Roman Iron chest. He was pretty damaged, of course, but the beauty of the decoration is still impressive to this day.

Decorations

Decorative elements vary by room, with remnants of sophisticated frescoes. The primary atrium's walls were rough, but eastern rooms off the tablinum corridor featured white panels framed in red above a red frieze, with hanging garlands and medallions. The secondary tablinum displayed Second Style paintings, emphasizing architectural perspectives and illusions. Peristyle rooms had traces of fine wall art, though much was damaged by the eruption and time.

Artifacts Found

Key finds include a large bronze and iron safe (arca) in the primary atrium, fixed to a masonry base under the lararium's gaze. This wooden chest, reinforced with iron strapping and featuring two locks, symbolized the family's wealth; its contents included an iron shovel, fragmented iron oil lamp with bronze chains and snuffer, and a worn sandstone whetstone. Other artifacts: four figured bronze fittings from the tablinum (now in the Pompeii Antiquarium, inventory 3211a/b), a broken terracotta pot in a corridor, and bronze wall fittings from the atrium.

Notable Features and Discoveries

Beyond its architectural fusion, the house's most striking discovery is the safe, a rare intact example of Roman security measures for valuables. The skeletons in the fauces provide a tragic human element, illustrating escape attempts during the catastrophe. Structural details like bed recesses, beam holes, and vaulted ceilings offer insights into daily living, while the extensive upper floor suggests accommodations for extended family or staff. Today, the site remains a testament to Pompeian elite life, with ongoing research revealing more about its pre-eruption restorations and cultural significance.

The peristal or inner garden also belonged to two separate buildings and were joined together by the new owner, who bought both houses.