Lecture 03/04

March 4th ? Pompeiian Houses Professor Absences He is working out guest lectures and other ways of making up his missed time. Expect disruptions before and after spring break. There will still be a quiz next Monday. House of the Surgeon So-called ?Period of Limestone Atria?, but it isn?t really limestone. These houses have early dating because of a lack of Greek features ? no columnades, lacking Greek orders. It is considered one of the earliest examples of houses because of this. Mau would date these between 2nd ? 4th c BC. More modern scholars say it is closer to 2nd. The remains underneath are older. Is using the material as a means of dating even accurate? Using stone could be conspicuous consumption ? it?s expensive to cut and assemble brick, rather than pouring cement. Or it could be taste, also. Called the House of the Surgeon because of medical instruments found in the house. The tools were actually quite advanced, and the same types of tools were used into the 19th century. Tuscan Atrium ? it doesn?t use columns for the tile roof, but massive beams, instead. The house has been changed and altered over time, which is pretty normal. Sometimes the old house underneath is torn down and rebuilt on top, but the outer walls seem to remain kind of the same ? street lines don?t seem to change a whole lot through time. Staying cool seems to be a concern to the Greeks ? they have living areas that open out into gardens in the house, open spaces, and very tall ceilings. House of the Silver Wedding Named after the silver wedding anniversary of a queen and king who spent their silver anniversary watching the excavation of the building. There are Greek columns in the Atrium, which was previously an aspect of public buildings. Largely built out of tufa, which date it to around 2nd or 1st BC. Probably had a 2nd story (since there are stairs) Atrium & Peristyle The atrium and peristyle are linked to the main events of a Pompeiian house. The clients would be admitted into the atrium of the house, making it a huge area that is meant to display the wealth and status of the patron. The peristyle emphasizes dining. More valued friends and political allies would be allowed into this space. House of Sallust Tuscan atrium. There are a row of shops on the front end of the house, including a bakery. First Style Wall Style - The walls are tufa or stone and are plastered over. The plaster is modeled into shapes (like engaged columns) and are painted. Here the wall has ?stones? that are shaped into the plaster that mimic how you would build a wall if you were actually using real stone. Large garden that has an open-air dining room (in addition to the dining rooms in the inside of the house). House of the Faun Biggest of early houses, it takes up an entire city block ? it is 2/3?s bigger than the Chazen museum. 2 Tuscan atrium, and 2 peristyles that get larger as you go into the house. Lararium is a shrine to the household gods. Walls are first style. There is also a mosaic of theater masks (marks the owner of the house as someone who is cultured and takes part in theaters). Lots of other mosaics decorate the house; birds, cats, block decoration, etc.