This area, adjacent to the boat houses along what was the beach, is so named because of the Marco Nonio Balbo statue found there. Balbo lived in Herculaneum though he was originally from Nuceria. He was Senator and proconsul of the provinces of Crete and Cyrene and a patron of Herculaneum. Upon his death, he was cremated at this location and his ashed stored here.
Now here is where it gets a little fuzzy. Everything I can find written about Balbo is in Italian, and my translations aren't the greatest. This object had a marble facade and, when it was further researched in the 1980s, was found to contain the ashes of Balbo in a clay container. In the background, the Suburban Baths are to the right and the ramp into Herculaneum proper are to the left.
The front of the object contained a description of Balbo's exploits and accomplishments. Note the far left edge of this object has been recreated.
Also inside was found what translates into an uncremated "phalanx", which can either mean a body part or an array of soldiers. If anyone can fill me in on the real story, I would appreciate it.
This photo shows that part of the statue was missing and has been filled in to give an idea of what it originally looked like. As near as I can tell from the translations, this is a copy of the original statue, with the original on display in a nearby museum.
For anyone who can read Italian, here is the poster that was along the edge of the terrace. Maybe you can fill me in on what the real story is.
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The site of the superintendent of archaeology at Pompeii has several pages about the statue of Balbo - see http://www.pompeiisites.org/Sezione.jsp?titolo=The%20Statue%20of%20Marcus%20Nonius%20Balbus%20comes%20back%20to%20its%20original%20position%20at%20Herculaneum&idSezione=1768&idSezioneRif=1725
Maybe it's some of the same information as on the placard.
Here is what I read as translated from the Italian to English, found in that photo of the statue of Balbo:
The head of the statue was sculpted separately from the body of the statue originally. In the first eruption of Vesuvius that affected Herculaneum, the blast dislodged the head and sent it downward to the flooring of the staging area, where it was eventually recovered by excavators at the base of the funeral pire that sits before the statue on that platform, display, public area.
The second and worst blast from Vesuvius that struck Herculaneum split the statue's body in two halves and sent them also flying off toward the beach area, where one half of the statue was later found/excavated. The second half of the body of the statue has not yet been recovered and is assumed to have been sent flying even farther out over what was then the beach area and is thus, still possibly buried amidst the unexcavated area beyond the then-beach area, or, perhaps, was obliterated by the blast of Vesuvius and thus, may never be recovered.
What is now on display there at excavated Herculaneum are molds of the parts of the recovered, original statue (head and one-half the torso), and then with added recreations of the other half that remains missing.
There are also remarks in the captions depicted in that poster photo of the excavation of the interior (or, "inside") of the large platform that is situated in front of Balbo's statue. Inside that large object (large rectangular shaped structure in front of the statue and base of the statue) was found the remains of the funeral pire of Balbo and a buried "phalanx" that appears to be some sort of staff, likely whatever it was that Balbo carried or was represented by as to his might and posiition of power.
Balbo is said in the descriptions there to have been a great benefactor of the city of Herculaneum recognized for his work or benefience as to "walls, paintings" and other decorative goods that assisted Herculaneum's grandeur or status as a fine living environment. Interesting to me is that his main importance to Herculaneum was due to his amplification of the city's structures and that that statue and his very remains are among the few items that still stand there today. Mighty Balbo, I suggest it suggests.
Thanks everyone!
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