Regio IV is one of the nine administrative regions of ancient Pompeii, a Roman city near modern Naples, Italy, famously preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Located in the northeastern quadrant of the city, Regio IV is less frequented by tourists compared to the forum or Regio VII but contains significant archaeological treasures that reveal the daily life, architecture, and culture of Pompeii’s inhabitants. Covering approximately 6.5 hectares, it includes a mix of residential houses, commercial spaces, and public structures, offering a window into the city’s social and economic fabric.
Location and Layout
Regio IV forms a compact, roughly triangular zone in the northeastern
corner of ancient Pompeii, nestled against the city's defensive walls
and the looming presence of Mount Vesuvius to the north. This area sits
immediately north of the Via di Nola—one of Pompeii’s two primary
east-west thoroughfares (decumani)—along its eastern section, stretching
northward toward the ancient city walls near the Vesuvian Gate (also
known as Porta di Nola or Porta Nolana). To the east, it borders the
largely unexcavated Regio III, while its western edge abuts Regio V. The
northern and eastern limits follow the curving line of the massive tuff
and lava-stone defensive walls, which once protected the city and
incorporated gates leading to regional roads.
The region's irregular
triangular shape results from Pompeii’s organic urban grid, which
adapted to the sloping terrain and the constraints of the northern
boundary rather than following a perfect rectangular plan. This makes
Regio IV noticeably narrower and more constrained than the broader
southern and central regiones. Much of the area remains unexcavated,
preserving a sense of mystery beneath layers of volcanic debris from the
catastrophic 79 CE eruption of Vesuvius that buried the city.
Key
streets defining and traversing Regio IV include:
Via di Nola —
its southern boundary, a wide, well-paved major artery lined with shops,
houses, and commercial activity, serving as a vital east-west corridor
for traffic, trade, and daily life in the bustling Roman town.
A
network of narrower north-south vicoli (side streets or alleys) that
divide the area into individual insulae (city blocks). These smaller
streets, often stepped or uneven due to the terrain, created the
grid-like subdivisions typical of Pompeii’s residential quarters,
separating clusters of homes, workshops, and modest commercial spaces.
Within Regio IV, the insulae (such as IV.1 through IV.5) contain a
mix of structures typical of Pompeian urban life, including atrium
houses, shops (tabernae), workshops, and possible cauponae (taverns).
Some entrances reveal evidence of upper floors or specialized functions,
though many details await full excavation. The proximity to the Vesuvian
Gate would have made this a transitional zone between the dense inner
city and routes leading northward toward Vesuvius and other Campanian
towns.
History
Excavation History and Current Appearance
Systematic excavations
in Pompeii began in the mid-18th century under the Bourbons, but early
work focused on more central or promising areas for art and antiquities.
Regio IV saw only limited exposure along its southern edge (the north
side of Via di Nola) in the early 19th century. Key phases include
partial clearing around 1813 (following work near the Porta di Nola) and
further interventions in the 1840s. These revealed the façades of
several shops, house entrances, and small dwellings in Insulae
IV.1–IV.5.
Because the rest of each insula extends northward into a
massive unexcavated earthen bank (up to several meters high),
archaeologists bricked up the doorways and ground-floor openings to
serve as a retaining wall. This prevents collapse of the volcanic debris
mound behind while protecting the visible street front. Today, visitors
walking along the Via di Nola can see these bricked-up entrances—modest
commercial units and house doorways—standing as a stark visual reminder
of the unexcavated city beyond. Some lararia (household shrines) or
upper-floor features were noted in early records (e.g., in Insula IV.2),
but no spectacular frescoes, mosaics, or major artifacts have been
widely publicized from this zone.
Significance and Future
Potential
Regio IV exemplifies the ongoing nature of Pompeian
archaeology: roughly one-third of the ancient city (including parts of
Regiones III, IV, V, and IX) still lies buried, preserving a pristine
stratigraphic record. Future excavations could yield insights into
everyday urban life in a less elite northern quarter, construction
techniques, or post-earthquake (62 AD) repairs specific to this grid
section. Modern priorities emphasize preservation over rapid digging, so
the region is likely to remain largely untouched for years, protected by
its earthen cover.
Excavation Status and Current Condition
While the central and southern districts of Pompeii—such as the
bustling Regiones VI, VII, and I—are famous for their extensively
uncovered streets, houses, and public buildings, Regio IV remains one of
the least explored areas of the ancient city. Only a narrow strip along
its southern edge, facing the Via di Nola, was partially investigated
during 19th-century excavations. The first doorways in this sector were
revealed around 1813, but even these limited exposures have since been
largely reburied or carefully protected.
Today, modern conservation
strategies at Pompeii strongly favor the stabilization and maintenance
of already-excavated zones rather than launching ambitious new digs that
could risk further damage. As a result, the vast majority of Regio
IV—along with significant portions of Regiones III, V, and IX—still lies
buried beneath 4 to 6 meters (13–20 feet) of volcanic lapilli, ash, and
pumice deposited during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
AD 79.
To prevent the collapse of exposed structures under the
immense pressure of the unexcavated volcanic material piled up behind
them, archaeologists have filled in or bricked up many of the northern
doorways along the Via di Nola, turning them into makeshift retaining
walls. Because of these safety measures and ongoing conservation
priorities, Regio IV is closed to the public. Visitors walking along the
Via di Nola can only catch a glimpse of the street-level façades, while
the hidden world of houses, shops, and courtyards behind them remains
silently preserved under the ash for future generations.
Insulae and Known Structures
The website Pompeii in Pictures provides detailed documentation for
five main insulae (city blocks) in Regio IV — specifically IV.1 through
IV.5. Each insula is subdivided into individual entrances labeled with
letters (for example, IV.1.a–g, IV.2.a–g, and so on). These represent
the only sections of Regio IV with relatively detailed plans, which
derive from early 19th-century surveys and limited excavations.
These
insulae lie primarily along the northern frontage of the Via di Nola,
one of ancient Pompeii’s major east-west thoroughfares that ran from the
city’s eastern areas toward the Forum and beyond. The street frontages
feature a typical mix of commercial and modest residential structures
common in Pompeii: ground-floor tabernae (shops), workshops, possible
cauponae (bars or taverns), and small living spaces that may have
included upper floors accessed by stairs. Many of these entrances were
briefly uncovered during the early 1800s excavations but were later
reburied or stabilized with modern retaining walls to hold back the
unexcavated earth bank to the north.
Examples of known features
include:
Simple shops and bars (cauponae) with street-facing
entrances that saw short-term exploration in the early 19th century.
In Insula IV.2, the Casa dei Pilastri Colorati (House of the Colored
Pillars), a structure that appears to have combined residential use with
commercial activity, possibly linked to wine production or storage given
its layout and finds.
Some houses in this area once contained
Fourth-Style wall paintings — the latest and most ornate Pompeian
decorative style, characterized by elaborate architectural illusions,
fantastical perspectives, and mythological scenes (such as depictions of
Narcissus gazing at his reflection). A number of these frescoes were
detached and transferred to the Naples Archaeological Museum (Museo
Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli) during early excavations, though
attribution to specific entrances can occasionally be confused with
properties in adjacent regiones due to inconsistencies in old records.
The interiors of these insulae, along with all blocks further north in
Regio IV, remain completely buried under volcanic debris from the AD 79
eruption of Vesuvius. As a result, almost nothing is known about their
full internal layouts, additional decorations, or range of uses. Unlike
the wealthier and more extensively excavated neighborhoods in Regio VI
(with its elegant atrium houses) or Regio VII (near the Forum and major
public buildings), Regio IV has yielded no major public structures,
temples, elite villas, or large-scale complexes. It appears to have been
a predominantly working-class or mixed-use district on the northern edge
of the ancient city, offering valuable insight into everyday commercial
life in Pompeii while highlighting how much of the site still lies
unexplored.
Archaeological and Historical Significance
Regio IV stands out as one of Pompeii’s most remarkable and
best-preserved “time capsules.” Unlike many other districts of the
ancient Roman city that were excavated in the 19th and 20th centuries,
large portions of Regio IV remain deliberately unexcavated and untouched
since the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Buried under
meters of volcanic ash, pumice, and pyroclastic material for nearly two
millennia, this northern quarter offers an exceptional opportunity to
study the city exactly as it was on that fateful autumn day.
Because
it has never been fully uncovered, future targeted excavations—modeled
after the careful, scientific digs recently carried out in Regio V and
Regio IX—could yield extraordinary insights, including:
Vivid
evidence of everyday life in a more modest, socially mixed
residential-commercial neighborhood, where middle-class families,
artisans, shopkeepers, and laborers lived side by side, far from the
grand villas of the wealthy elite in other parts of Pompeii.
Clues
about the city’s urban development, particularly how Pompeii expanded
northward in its final decades, reflecting rapid urbanization,
population growth, and shifting economic patterns under Roman rule.
Well-preserved organic remains, such as wooden furniture, textiles, food
remnants, seeds, and pollen, along with abundant graffiti, inscriptions,
tools, and household objects that are often better protected when left
sealed beneath the dense volcanic layers.
Beyond its research
potential, the unexcavated state of Regio IV also reflects a profound
shift in modern archaeological philosophy. Rather than rushing to
unearth every last corner of the site, today’s experts prioritize
conservation and long-term preservation. Exposing new areas to the open
air brings serious risks: rapid deterioration from rain, wind,
fluctuating temperatures, heavy tourist foot traffic, and rising
groundwater. By leaving sections like Regio IV buried for now,
archaeologists are safeguarding Pompeii’s fragile legacy for future
generations equipped with even more advanced technologies and ethical
frameworks.