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House of the Vestals, Pompeii

Address: Insula 1
Area: 1107 square meters
Rooms: +30

The House of the Vestals, known in Latin as Casa delle Vestali and also referred to as the House of Ione or Casa del Salve, is a prominent archaeological site in Pompeii, located at Regio VI, Insula 1, entrance 7 (VI.1.7). This elite Roman residence, buried under volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, exemplifies the opulent lifestyle of Pompeii's wealthy class during the early Imperial period. Despite its name, which stems from a misinterpreted wall painting depicting Venus at her toilet (once thought to represent a Vestal Virgin), the house has no direct connection to the Vestal Virgins of Rome. Instead, it highlights themes of expansion, luxury, and social display, particularly through its innovative use of water features. Spanning a large plot, it incorporated neighboring properties over time, growing from a modest structure into a sprawling complex with multiple atria, peristyles, and amenities, reflecting the increasing economic inequality in Pompeii.

Historical Development and Social Context

The house's origins trace back to the second century BC, when it occupied a plot similar in size to the adjacent House of the Surgeon. During this period, Pompeii functioned as a maritime trade hub along the Sarno River valley, facilitating wealth accumulation for its residents. By the late first century BC, following Pompeii's integration into the Roman sphere and the construction of a new aqueduct under Augustus, the owners began aggressive expansions. They absorbed a small northern house, adjacent industrial and commercial buildings (possibly for revenue generation), and reconfigured the layout to include private baths and elaborate water systems.
In the first century AD, further renovations elevated its status: new floors, plastered walls, marble accents, an expanded bath complex, fountains, and pools were added, dwarfing neighboring properties in scale and decoration. These changes were not merely functional but served as overt displays of wealth, aligning with Roman cultural norms of conspicuous consumption where water features symbolized elite status. The house adapted to crises, such as the devastating earthquake of AD 62, which prompted repairs and modifications to maintain its grandeur, including reinforcements to water infrastructure. By AD 79, it represented the pinnacle of Pompeian luxury amid growing social disparities, with artifacts like gold-plated glass, beads, a golden chariot intaglio, and exotic spices (e.g., pepper and cumin) indicating a lavish diet and lifestyle.

Architectural Layout and Rooms

The House of the Vestals features a complex, somewhat confusing layout due to its piecemeal expansions, linking to multiple entrances (VI.1.6, VI.1.8, VI.1.24, VI.1.25, and VI.1.26) along Via Consolare. Entering primarily through VI.1.7 or the grander VI.1.25, visitors encounter a vestibule (prothyrum) leading to a Tuscanic atrium—a central open courtyard with a marble impluvium (rainwater basin) for collecting water. The atrium, surrounded by walls and doorways, connects to the tablinum (a reception room for business and display), small ancillary rooms, passages, corridors, and a bath area.
Beyond the atrium lie two peristyles (colonnaded gardens): one in the Consolare area with elaborate water elements, and another providing open space amid the dense urban fabric. The bath complex, added in the first century BC and expanded in AD times, includes heated rooms for caldarium (hot bath), tepidarium (warm room), and frigidarium (cold plunge), showcasing advanced Roman engineering. Dining rooms (triclinia) featured frescoes, and the overall sprawl—encompassing colorful marbles, mosaics, and frescoes—created an imposing residence that "gobbled up" neighboring lots for maximum impact.

Water Features: Symbols of Wealth and Innovation

Water was central to the house's identity and social signaling, exploiting pressurized supply from Pompeii's Augustan aqueduct to create dynamic displays visible to passers-by and guests. Key elements include the marble impluvium in the atrium, which fed into underground cisterns, and the standout fountain in the Consolare peristyle: a plinth supporting a statue (likely spouting water), a large pool for collection, a cascading overflow system, a trench for piping, and a drain to manage flow. These features, gushing against colonnades and frescoed walls, were designed for spectacle, emphasizing the owners' access to abundant water—a luxury in arid Campania. Post-AD 62 earthquake adaptations ensured resilience, with repairs prioritizing these status symbols.

Decorations, Frescoes, and Mosaics

The interior boasted expensive decorations: polychrome marble slabs flooring the entrance corridor and thresholds, and walls adorned with Fourth Style motifs—elaborate, illusionistic paintings typical of post-AD 62 Pompeii. Frescoes, once vibrant in blues and reds depicting mythological scenes (including the eponymous "Vestal" painting), have faded to gray due to exposure. Mosaics covered floors, with intricate patterns in the atrium (partially destroyed in 1943) and rooms; one notable mosaic, possibly from a side room, features detailed designs now housed in the Naples Archaeological Museum. Historical sketches by William Gell (c. 1819) and plans by François Mazois (1824) capture ornaments, paintings, and cross-sections, including a mirror-centered wall with motifs from the house.

Excavations, Damage, and Current State

Excavations occurred in phases: 1770 (initial uncovering), 1784, 1811, and 1828, with Bourbon-era digs removing many mosaics and paintings for museums. The Anglo-American Project in Pompeii (AAPP), including Bradford University's work, has documented ceramics, biological remains, floors, walls, and artifacts since the late 1990s, reviving interest in preservation. Tragically, Allied bombing on September 14-15, 1943, devastated the northeast section: the atrium mosaic and impluvium were partially lost, the tablinum and adjacent rooms destroyed, and the west portico's Fourth Style wall collapsed. Shrapnel damaged water features, and subsequent vandalism—carvings in multiple languages—and natural decay (e.g., cedar roots cracking floors) have compounded issues. Today, the site remains a poignant ruin, with crumbled walls, cracked pools, and faded art, but ongoing studies underscore its value in understanding Roman domestic life.

So the murals looked at the time of discovery and the current state

Narcissus with Eros