Regio VI is the northwestern part of Pompeii, embraced by the Cardo Maximus to the east and the Decumanus Superior to the south; its western side is framed by the city walls, as is the northern side, punctuated by the Herculaneum Gate (northwest) and Vesuvian Gate (northeast), as you can see from the map Antinous Flavius and I have created. If you click on the number or name of a building, you will be spirited straight to the respective house (doesn't work at the moment, will add that later). Or you can take the grand tour, of course.
One of the most refined villas of Pompeii is located in this regio, the House of the Vettii. However, excavations lead to the assumption that parts of this quarter never really recovered from the big earthquake in 62 AD. Some of the houses were still damaged; in some cases the renovation works were of a considerable poorer quality than the original building, in some cases it can be assumed that only parts of the house were still intact and used. It is possible and likely that the original owners had sold their homes at a cheap rate after the earthquake, and the new owners might have had a hard time providing the means for decent renovation. Especially in the vicinity of the Vesuvian Gate the neighbourhood seemed to have been in the process of decline.
In case an existing building has been adopted by an AW member (within the context of the Vesuvius 79 AD story or simply as a 'hood home), young Primus will spirit you straight to it; but for now you might want to follow him on a leisurely stroll through his quarter. Between ourselves, he was the only one available, and I'm afraid he's quite eager to share the local gossip. And of course he exaggerates shamelessly. This said, there's only one thing left - have fun!
Salve, citizen!
I am Primus Fadius, and please don't believe one single word the barbarian says; praefectus he might be (though I still wonder why), but he still is a barbarian, and a thief on top of it all. *huffs*
Anyway, I'm pleased to receive you here at the Vesuvian Gate for a little tour through my quarters. Now there, please follow me, and take care of what you step on. You know the procedure: use the stepping stones, mind the carts and horses, and above everything else: Take a firm grip on your purse. There are thieves lurking in every corner. *glares at the so-called praefectus* Fortunately we won't even come near the gladiators' barracks - their breath alone would suffice to knock you down flat. Garlic, you know. When we're halfway through our tour we'll stop at one of the countless thermopolia. The one across from the House of the Anchor ist the best of them all! Are you ready? Very well, let's go.
We are now on the Cardo Maximus, heading south. The first house here on the right is called the House of the Ara Maxima. As you can see it's quite small; nevertheless its first owner has spent a fortune on the artworks. The murals are exquisite, especially the painting that shows Hercules at the Ara Maxima, the grand altar, in Rome. I've heard the Ara Maxima was the first altar of our ancestors, but I might be wrong about that. Perhaps you know more about it? No? There are some more beautiful paintings there, for example in one alcove of the tablinum you can see an image of Narcissus. *sighs* He has always been my favourite subject. Kindred spirits maybe? *coughs delicately* Anyway, the recent owner hasn't spent much money on the upkeep, so it looks rather shabby at the moment.
The next house on your list belongs to the Poppei family, an awfully snobbish lot. Especially the head of the house thinks highly of his own, well, proficiencies. *whispers* Word is, that he has his cubiculum decorated with golden cupids, as if this would help! *snickers* At least old Poppy has for once unstrung his purse and hired some decent workmen for the paintings. All in all they have done a remarkable job, don't you think? See the old guy exiting and staggering along as if he'd swallowed a stick? That's him, Poppy. We all know he fancies himself to be an actor. Yesterday his dear wife lamented that he has added yet another theatre mask to the walls, this time in the peristyle. She said there's no place anymore where she doesn't feel observed by them. Ah, well, to each their own I say. While Poppy styles himself as a benefactor of the artistis, his much younger wife has other means to comfort said artists - and she claims it's all in the service of Isis, whom she worships. *giggles* Let's move on, further down the Cardo Maximus.
Yes, I thought that this might spark your interest - a gambling hall! *chuckles* I'm afraid the patrons here might be well beneath your standards. This den is usually frequented by common workers, most of them from the stables and transport agencies that are located in close vicinity of the gates. But surely you know that; it's the same wherever you go.
Come on, let's make haste - unless you have to pass water? Ah yes, you wrinkle your nose; I also do that anytime I'm close to a fullery. *pinches nose delicately* It's not only the stench from the pots they put outside for us to piss into; the aromas from huge basins where the slaves have to wade through the stuff all day long is far worse. Did you know that urine is commonly used in fulleries? And that the fullers even have to pay a tax for our piss? Oh Jupiter! One day they will even find a way to tax our farts! *snorts* What? Oh. Yes. I suppose you would know since you're obviously an educated person. Anyway, let's GO, please!
Here's the next house, and yes, it has a nice greeting scribbled onto the wall, and so fitting, don't you think? "I have buggered men" - and from what I've heard of the owner it's sooo true, though I sincerely doubt he's written that himself. He has no need to advertise himself, you know. *winks slyly* Oh, I just recall the barbarian has emphasised I'm only supposed to show you the surroundings. Well, this is the House of Orpheus. As you may have guessed by now it's called so because of a magnificent image of this Greek, Orpheus. There's not much to say about the owner, except that he entertains quite illustrous guests until early in the morning and is frequently spotted making his offerings to Venus and Hermes. *hides a smirk* He will know why. Now we'll turn to the right and enter the Decumanus Superior. No, there's nothing to say about the dwellers of this shabby building. They are dull and don't take well to strangers. *huffs* They've even had their slaves roughen me up, just because I tried to sneak into the house, imagine! Decent folks have no need to guard their houses so heavily, my father always says, and ... what? Yes. Of course. If you insist. The next house. *hides a smile*
Here we are, this is the best brothel in our quarter, if not of all Pompeii! The boys and girls here pride themselves to have turned their trade into a science of its own, an artform - and they have. Yes, most of them are slaves, acquired from all over the world - even though there are a few freelancers too. *inspects fingernails* Whatever it is you prefer, I assure you, you will find it here. All shades of skin and hair colour, all sizes, all genders, all temperaments! You just state what you want, and if your have the money, you shall be satisfied. *chuckles* I knew that would interest you. Alas, we have to leave this luxurious place of pleasures for awhile, we still have many places to go. What? Uhm, no, I don't think they have any bargain prices for tourists, I'm afraid. *winks and throws you an appraising glance* Maybe you should try for a quantity discount instead?
And this is his house, the house of the old Lupus himself, the proprietor of the House of the Scientists. Do you see the muscular guys framing the entrance? Most of the time they are on duty next door, on the inside, if you get my meaning, just in case they have caught your fancy. As you can see this line of business still pays off quite nicely. I've been in this house on several ... occasions, and every single time I was impressed by the artwork. What? Yes! *glares* I did look at the walls too. *huffs* There is a painting in there I'd die to have, though I usually don't care for the latest style. It shows Laocoön and his two sons in the serpents' deadly embrace. One of the sons is already dead. Quite fitting somehow, don't you think? Struggling with serpents, I mean. *winks*
We've just crossed the smaller Decumanus again that divides this quarter in two blocks, one to the north, and consequently one to the south. *smiles brightly* To your left you can see the house of one of the most stinking-rich families around here, and we've got quite a few of them! Well, you're right, the more elevated ones live in Oplontis anyway, that's true. Let's just say they're incredibly rich but not too distinguished if you get my drift. *smirks* Even all the beautiful artwork cannot gloss over the fact that this house is a vertiable brooding place for scandals! Only three years ago Restitutus and Conviva, they are brothers, you know, not lovers, sold it for a song and left in a hurry. Some say that's bec-... what? The artwork. Oh. Yes. *coughs* As usual there's a picture of Priapus in the entrance to grant fertility and ward off evil. Then there are loads of Cupids and Psyches in the two atriae. Well, the head of the house is quite a romantic, even if he denies it and puts on a big show of being the paterfamilias, a model of integrity, dripping with gravitas. *shrugs* I suppose he would indeed get away with it, were it not for his family. *giggles* I could tell you stories... what? *huffs* Yes, they are very fond of mythological scenes, the whole house is cluttered with such mosaics and murals. Wherever you look, you can be sure that Perseus, Andromeda, Ariadne, Dionysus, Daphne, Apollo, Neptune or Amymone stare right back at you. Unnerving, I say! Would you like to live in a house, however fancy, and constantly be observed by some god or demi-goddess? *shivers delicately* I mean, I can understand why he put "Hercules strangling a serpent" in the cubiculum, and maybe also that he put the torture of Dirce or the Torment of Pentheus right beside it. But it can become so incredibly tiresome - Daedalus and Pasiphae here, Ixion being tortured there. *looks gloomy*
AW residents: Valerius Tullius and family (Vesuvius) and Helena Servilius ('hood home)
Now we are almost back at the Vesuvius Gate, it's just around the corner to the right. By the way, we are now on the highest point in Pompeii, the best place for our Castellum Aquae, the watershed at the end of this branch of the Aqua Augusta which ends in the Piscina Mirabilis over in Misenum. Here, in the Castellum Aquae the water is divided into three more channels. Come on, let's go closer! There... can you hear the water thundering through the walls? Can you feel the vibrations when you press your hands flat to the wall? *smiles reminiscently* When I was a boy I used to imagine that Poseidon Earth Shaker used to dwell down there. Come on, let's turn left, there are still some more sights to see.
This house is one of the older ones, and not kept in excellent shape as you can see. *sighs* It's a pity when I think of the reception room. It's lined with a collonade with Corithian capitals, you know. Utterly elegant! And the peristyl! It's also framed by a collonade, of course, and the pool is huge and has scultpures everywhere. Ah, it used to be such a jewel while it belonged to old Meleager. But now? This is a very bad example for what can happen if such houses are sold to Roman upstarts who haven't got the money to buy themselves a decent home in Oplontis or Baiae, but just have to own a house at the Cup! What do they think? That such a place supports itself without any money? *snorts* Honestly, would you want to be invited into such a hut? I mean - *huffs* Yes, I'm coming.
Now this house is quite another affair. I've heard the matrona who acquired it has hired only the best craftsmen available. I have never seen her in person down here, though. She had everything arranged by her agents. From what I've seen when I sneaked int-, uhm, inspected the house, artisans and their slaves were busy renovating in every corner. The foreman told me her name. Let me think. Yes, I think the lady's name is Xtreemli Curius. What? *giggles* No, that is her name, not my comment! Though I've heard a few stories about her. The cousin of the wife of the guestfriend of her agent said she was originally a slave girl and, for some ancient reason we all might well guess, wound up manumitted and as heiress of her former master's fortune, which quite a few thought extremely curious. *shrugs* However, if she knows how to party I don't care about credentials. Yes, I'm coming. Why the hurry? *hurries to catch up*
To your left there's the House of the Labyrinth. What? *chuckles* No, it's not because the architect mucked things up! No, it's because of a flashy mosaic in there. The labyrinth's made of black and white tessellae, and if you gaze at it long enough you sure feel dizzy and lost, that's true. But in the centre of it there's a great picture of Theseus and the Minotaur. And maybe it's because of the finely painted false doors all over? I bet that young lady who has only recently bought the place, I think her name's Antonia Marius, indeed thinks she lives in a maze! Maybe she's hunting the minotaur? *giggles* One thing's for sure in that house: If it looks like a door you're sure to bump into solid wall. Well, I suppose there is another reason for calling it House of the Labyrinth.
This house used to belong to Kallikrates. He died during the big earthquake twelve years ago, incidentally while he was causing a minor earthquake elsewhere, or so they say. However, his lover survived and - What? No, I'm not telling gossip! *glares and clears throat* His lover is now the new master of the house. Quite a career, don't you think? He must have been special. *sighs* Anyway, what else he shares with his late erastes is a deep love for mythology and art. There are folks who say that this house is the most beautiful of them all. Apollo and Daphne, Adonis, Silenus, Scylla, Achilles, they are all gathered here on these walls, painted with radiant colours, they say, and so lifelike that they might be stepping down to their admirers at any moment! *smiles* Yes, of course there is a wonderful painting of Castor and Pollux too, the Dioskuroi. Hmm. Maybe I'm more fond of the latest style than I was aware of, for most of the paintings are quite recent, you know. Ah, a rich lover has some advantages after all.
It's truly a magnificent house the Lady Messalina Terentius has acquired here! She's a famous actress from Rome and rarely pays us a visit anymore, but whenever she does ... boy! *whistles* It's very old and dates back to the Samnite period, but Lady Messalina has had it renovated, and she had employed only the best artists and craftsmen money can buy. The mosaics are exquisite and the murals are no less beautiful. Ah well, if you have money... *looks gloomy* She adores Alexander of Macedon and has installed a mosaic showing one of his countless battles, can't remember which one. And there's a wonderful dancing faun in her atrium. And as you can see here, she likes cats - as do many of us Pompeiians. It's been remarkably quiet around here since the Lady Messalina has withdrawn from here. *sighs sadly* But then, there's hope! I've heard rumours that she might have returned, maybe there will be more stories about boundless debauchery and ... but I digress again, forgive me, citizen! Now turn to the right please, we have reached the Decumanus Superior again.
Look, if you're thirsty there are two thermopolia, one facing the Decumanus Superior, the other is right behind the arch with the equestrian statue of Caligula on top, facing the House of the Ship. What? Oh, the latter one's better. Incidentally it's run by one of my cousins, and since it's on our way... *waits patiently for you to finish your snack and drain the cup* There! Didn't I say it was one of the best? Well, now that you're refreshed, shall we continue our tour? Very well. Just turn around, please.
Theses are the residences of retired shipowners and merchants. Honestly, I have forgotten their names; for as long as I can remember we call them Oceanus and Marius. Proof of this can be found in every corner of Oceanus' house, even his visitors are greeted by an image of a large anchor, as if they were entering a ship bound to leave for distant shores at any moment. Small wonder his dear friend Marius has built his house right beside it. Both of them live rather secluded lives, now that their heydays on the sea and between the sheets are over. Yes, they undertook most of the voyages together; people say both of them used to be quite fidgetous by the time the waters were fit for sailing again. *smiles fondly* Now the only voyages they undertake are their small trips to the shrine of Neptune over at the harbour. Both are old dears as you can tell, and their wives never had to complain of scandals they might have caused. *winks* Well, they have their sons for that.
These houses are examples what can be the result of neighbourly competition. It all started with Livia, the wife of Lepidus the Bald. I've heard that one day she woke up and fancied a new fountain for her garden. Lepidus isn't stupid, so he made no fuss and hired some craftsmen. Then Claudia got wind of it, their neighbour and wife of Gnaeus. People say her seething comments could be heard all the way to the forum. *giggles* Alas, I wasn't around when they had their argument. What? *huffs indignatedly* No, I'm not gossiping! What do you think of me? Anyway, you can imagine the rest. One could say in the end Gnaeus and Claudia won the day, and since Livia is the worse of the two we now gleefully call her villa the House of the Small Fountain. You want details? Well, both have a fountain, of course, they are absolute masterpieces - as they should be after all these bickerings! Gnaeus's consists of a niche which is covered with multicoloured tesserae that create absolutely stunning effects, and shows a bronze statue and theatre masks. The nymphaea are quite pretty too. To do Lepidus and Livia some justice - their fountain is also very beautiful, it shows decorations of maritime and urban landscapes along with two bronze statues. One's a child with a goose, the other one's a young fisherman. Yes, both are pretty, Livia's is just ... smaller. *smirks*
Despite the promising name no Adonis lives here, I'm afraid. *giggles* In fact the paterfamilias is an ugly, pompous snob. New money, you know what I mean? *giggles* Behind his back we call him "imperatulus". You should see him strutting down the streets, wrapped in his self-righteous dignity, the earth nearly shaking beneath his gravitas, his big nose standing out like a ship's rostrum, pointing towards the enemy and shivering only moments before the attack. Of course he's an advocate and politician. How could he be anything else? He's born to it - both are in love with their voices. *smirks* But I wager iii to x that the old fart hasn't realised that it's his face that graces this wall here, or else we would have heard his roars all over the quarter, and his slaves would have scrubbed it off in no time! *giggles* Charming profile, isn't it? Ah that man's just too engrossed with himself to notice. No, don't look at me like that - I didn't draw it, honestly! *looks suddenly nervous* Uhm, yes, the art. You came here for the arts, right? *talks faster* He has a nice picture of Venus tending to a wounded Adonis on one of his garden walls, one of the most beautiful ancient paintings around here, incorporated in the midst of landscape paintings. The other paintings are also very nice, especially the toilet of Hermaphroditos. That's all, really! Come one, make haste, we still have a long way before us! *hurries to the next house*
*shouts* What can I say? You hear the clamour yourself! Here the slaves of the matrona Safiria Caesar produce the silverwares that are famous even beyond Campania. *draws a deep breath and yells* WHAT? Yes, it's everything, from cups and plates to tiny and filigrane jewellery! She is so in love with her beautiful products, and whenever she crosses the forum people can hear her from afar. Wherever she goes, the jingling of her countless bracelets, earrings, necklaces and whatever else rich matronae are wearing precedes her. *yells* I've already spotted a certain barbarian passing her and - *clamps hand over mouth and furtively looks around*
Yes, another caupona, another gambling hall. What did you expect? Isn't it the same where you are coming from? What? Oh, yes. The patrons here are much more decent than the riff raff that gathers at the Vesuvian Gate. I know you would never even dream of it, but let me add that thorse burly guys over there are the bouncers of the bisca - and do you see the knife the blond one carries bareley concealed in his belt? That's what will bite you if you attempt to cheat.
Here, right at the corner sits what some greybeards fondly call the most ancient type of house - which means it's just an old shack in desperate need of repair and probably should be torn down anyway! Of course a fussy old Greek lives in there, probably ever since the time of the first Sibyl of Cumae; at least he looks that old. He's rarely seen in public and we all agree that the only occasion he raises his stylus for is writing yet another eulogy to Apoll. Well, the poor man's one of our resident unseccessful playwrights. *sighs not without sympathy* He still hopes to see his plays on stage, but belive me, I've read some of his works - he never will. Yes, he's a devotee of Apoll; one of the craftsmen he's hired to redecorate his cubiculum told me he had them paint mock buildings of the structure of a theatre on the walls, and he's chosen pictures of Apollo and Marsyas to go along with it. Yes, that's typical of him - even in his sleep he tries to be on stage and to stave off hybris at the same time. Charming, somehow. I wonder if he wakes to the sound of imaginary applause? *hesitates for a moment* But let's not get gloomy! Come on, we have still a lot of places to see!
There's not much to say about the families who live here. They are very quiet and keep to themselves. The masters of the houses are both businessmen, one of them deals with glass, and I've heard from the slaves that their master collects the most beautiful pieces instead of selling them. They are all afraid of breaking something, which obviously happens every now and then. Their neighbour, Farvonius, owns a few merchant ships which he rents out along with the crew. Actually he's quite rich and could well afford to live in Oplontis, Baiae or even Rome. Nobody knows why they stay here. *grumbles* I only know that they hide a wonderful painting of Neptune in there. Yes, they are very dull. *looks gloomy* But then, all this will change with the next house. *brightens up*
Now we have reached the huge house of Pansa, also known as the Insula Arriana Polliana. As you can see from the carving at the entrance: Here dwells happiness! Add drama, stealth and shady elements to it, and you are close. I bet old Pansa had never imagined what riff raff would attach itself to the outer parts of his house that he has sealed off and rented out. I mean, nothing against the bakeries, they are decent businesses. But the rest of the tenants...! Such an illustrious bunch of people! *rolls eyes and sighs wistfully* Though I have to admit I've rarely seen a house inhabited by more gorgeous-looking men at the same time, and those I have seen had the men on sale. But then, beauty isn't everything, my father always says. Why do you grin like that?! Stop it! *huffs* Would you care to share your roof with a shady Greek who thinks he's an actor and whose voice turns all the milk in the quarters sour whenever he starts what he calls singing? Or an Egyptian with sinister eyes and perpetually foul mood? Oh, and our so-called praefectus lives here as well, by the way. Add a shady lanista to the list, a Roman who fancies himself to be a Greek and a poet, and a Sicilian investigator who shares quarter with his assistant. Assistant! *giggles* You bet! But then, they are quite nice somehow. Well, Pansa has kept the best parts of the house for himself, for example this gorgeous Tiscan atrium which is part of the original construction, or the peristyl which is laid out around a pool.
Residents:
Hylas Ariston and
Q. Felix Valerius
(Northeast Apartment /
Pergula),
Barak Ben Judah (East Apartment),
Titus Annaeus Duilius (Southeast Apartment),
Idris Silures
(Souwthwest Apartment),
Kanakht Siamen (West Apartment),
Aristogeiton Harmodios (Northwest Apartment)
Yes, my stomach also starts grumbling anytime I pass the pistrinum. Unlike the smaller bakeries, here they bake for the masses. I wouldn't want to live here, next to the House of the Bakeries. But then, you cannot live in Pompeii and not live close to a bakery or thermopolium. I suppose it's the same where you live? *nods* I thought as much.
To be continued. :)
- House of Fabius Rufus
- House of the Tragic Poet (Antinous Flavius)
- Thermopolium
- House of Sallust
- Statio Saliniensium
- House of the Surgeon
- House of the Vestals (Blanche Yngling)
Maybe also:
- Herculaneum Gate
- Necropolis
- Villa of the Mosaic Columns
- Villa of Cicero
- Villa of Diomedes
- Villa of the Mysteries (C Varius Augustus)
- Green Acres (Sextus Manlius / Aricia Manlius)
Information about the buildings and Regio VI as such were gathered from various sources on the net, mainly from pompeionline.net and from a tour guide bought on-site in Pompeii (Claudia Converso: 'New guide to Pompeii', KINA Italia). Please note that all information Primus so freely shares about his fellow-citizens might be entirely wrong. As mentioned before, Primus is a gossiper, yes, but he was the only one available for the job. In case you prefer a more fact-related tour, tell Primus to return the fee you've paid him and jump over to above-mentioned pompeionline.net, thank you. Names, even the number of excavated buildings vary considerably, depending on the sources; after an (unsuccessful) attempt to make head or tail of it, I decided to stick to this one.
The quoted scribblings are genuine grafitti discovered on Pompeiian walls, found at pompeiana.org; alas, they are shown in English only. If you happen to own volume 4 of "Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum", please let me know, I'd dearly like to know the original text. I've browsed this book at amazon, and at the moment it sells for roughly $ 1,000.
The avatar of Primus Fadius was created by Bari Augustus and, with her explicit permission, altered by me since he would have looked incredibly stupid running around with a kithara or whatever it was he'd been leaning on.
Backgounds and dividers found at the Inspiration Gallery, Ambo Graphics and EOS Design, some altered by me; all images used for the houses are linked back to their original sources (even though they are parked at photobucket.com to avoid bandwidth-theft) to keep this list from becoming longer than the tour itself. Please note that all are to my knowledge free for non-commercial use.
The map of Regio VI is a gorgeous and generous gift from Antinous Flavius of Bithynia. Thank you, I appreciate it very much!
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