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The House of the Wooden Partition (Casa del Tramezzo di Legno),
located at Insula III.11 in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum
(modern Ercolano, Italy), is a well-preserved patrician residence
buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Positioned on the
east side of Cardo IV Inferiore, a main north-south street, it
originally extended across the entire insula but was later modified,
with some rooms detached to become humble dwellings and shops for
artisan workers. The house derives its name from a remarkably
preserved carbonized wooden screen or partition (tramezzo di legno)
that separates the atrium from the tablinum, a rare example of
ancient Roman carpentry featuring hinged panels with bronze handles
that still swing on their original hinges. Constructed in the late
Republican period (1st century BCE) and remodeled in the 1st century
CE, it reflects adaptations following the 62 CE earthquake,
including reinforced walls and privacy features for a person of
means.
Excavation history began with 18th-century Bourbon
tunnel explorations that damaged and looted parts, followed by
systematic open-air digs between 1928 and 1929 under archaeologist
Amedeo Maiuri. The mudflow burial preserved organic elements like
wood, providing rare insights into Roman daily life, though early
excavations and volcanic heat warped some features. As part of the
Parco Archeologico di Ercolano, it is open to visitors, who praise
its wooden partition and frescoes but note the site's crowds; allow
10–15 minutes in a full tour.
The House of the Wooden Partition occupies a rectangular plot
adapted to Herculaneum's urban grid, with a façade preserved up to
the second storey featuring a portal, windows, and small lights at
various heights—one of the most complete private house façades in
Herculaneum or Pompeii. The layout centers on a Tuscan-style atrium
(Room 6) accessed via an entrance corridor (fauces, Room 1), with
cubicula (bedrooms) and an ala (wing) flanking it, leading to a
tablinum (Room 9) separated by the namesake wooden partition. To the
west, a corridor (Room 10) connects to a peristyle garden (Garden
11) with porticoes on east and north sides, surrounding additional
reception rooms. The house develops vertically with upper floors and
balconies, supported by beam holes and masonry.
Architectural
features include opus reticulatum walls, tufa thresholds, and a
compluvium (roof opening) over the atrium for light and rainwater
collection into an impluvium basin decorated with white tiling,
later covered in marble. The wooden partition consists of panels
with central hinged doors and bronze lamp supports shaped like
ship's sterns, allowing privacy while enabling the owner to conduct
business. Drainage via puteals and cisterns, with carbonized wood
preserved by mudflows, highlights Roman engineering. Post-earthquake
modifications reinforced structures, reflecting resilience.
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The house comprises about 15–20 spaces, labeled per Maiuri's
documentation.
Entrance Doorway: On Cardo IV Inferiore, with
masonry benches outside; leads to fauces.
Entrance Corridor (Room 1):
Leads west to atrium; painted decorations on south and north walls.
Room 2 (Cubiculum): North-east of atrium, next to entrance corridor;
flooring and ceiling details.
Room 3: South of entrance corridor;
recess in south wall, arched niche in upper west wall, beam holes for
upper flooring.
Room 4 (Cubiculum): South side of atrium; painted
decorations on east wall with plants on zoccolo, upper south wall frieze
with deer panel.
Room 5 (Cubiculum): South side of atrium; carbonized
bed in south-west corner, upper wall engraving from 1757.
Room 6
(Atrium): Central Tuscan space with compluvium, impluvium in opus
signinum with white tiling (later marble); doorways to Rooms 2, 4, 5, 7,
8, Corridor 10; upper walls painted with masks.
Room 7 (Ala): South
side of atrium; painted decorations on west, south, east walls.
Room
8 (Triclinium): South-west of atrium; doorways to east portico and
atrium; painted decorations with sea-monsters, dolphins, phoenix, goat,
grapes, sacred scene.
Room 9 (Tablinum): West of atrium, behind
wooden partition; accessed via south-east doorway from north portico.
Room 10 (Corridor): West of atrium, leads to atrium; doorway from north
portico.
Room 12: North wall of peristyle; decoration on plaster.
Room 13: North wall; doorway and window.
Room 14: West side of
peristyle; doorway.
Room 15: West side; doorway adjacent to Room 14.
Room 16 (Triclinium): Central west side; deteriorated decoration.
Room 17: North-west corner; doorway near Room 16.
Garden 11:
Peristyle with east and north porticoes; painted south wall garden
painting.
Upper floors: Living rooms where table was found;
statuette of Attis.
Decorations include Third- and Fourth-Style frescoes: atrium upper
walls with masks; Room 4 plants on zoccolo, deer frieze; Room 8
sea-monsters, dolphins, phoenix, goat, grapes, sacred scene; garden
south wall garden painting. Mosaics on floors; intricate ornaments.
Artifacts: Marble table with detailed legs near impluvium; carbonized
bed in Room 5; statuette of Attis; wooden leaves, bronze lamp supports.
The house's significance lies in its preserved façade and rare wooden
partition, offering insights into Roman privacy, carpentry, and
post-earthquake adaptations. It exemplifies patrician life in
Herculaneum's seaside setting.