Herculaneum: House of the Deer

 One of the most famous homes in Herculaneum is the House of the Stags (HotS) also known as House of the Deer or Casa dei Cervi in Italian. This first photo is a close-up of the wall in the entryway. I think the brickwork is fabulous.

 Looking down from the wall one sees this tile floor - very well preserved and very pleasing to the eye. It is not an unusual design, but it works well at this entry location.

 Here is a close-up taken from the same photograph. My first reaction was that the larger tiles were shards of broken pottery, but closer inspection reveals that these are tiles intentionally made for floors.

 Leaving the entryway and turning to the left we pass a few rooms and come upon a peristyle. on the house-side of the peristyle walkway there are a series of paintings that the Italians are attempting to preserve by placing glass over the top.

 The paint in many of the rooms is far from perfect, but enough of it remains to give us a clear feel for the decor of the rooms. HotS is not your typical Italic design and is built around one large outdoor rectangle about 140 feet long. It was 25 years old at the time of the eruption.

 Here is the tile in the walkway around the peristyle built on the edges of the rectangle. It is similar in design to the entryway floor we saw earlier.

 When we looked up from the floor and turned our head left, we saw this view out over the garden rectangle. The gazebo at the back of the photo would have had a wonderful ocean view - the levee and trees that are shown behind it are a result of Mt Vesuvius' eruption.

Here is what the view would have looked like the day before Mt Vesuvius erupted. From the view and size of the home, this home was obviously owned by one of the wealthier residents of Herculaneum.

 Turning my head a little further left revealed this scene - more of the peaceful, quiet garden rectangle.

 Another framed picture around the peristyle - this one is a painting of fruit.

 More fruit around the peristyle.

 We then walked out to the gazebo and took this photo. I could not determine whether this had been rebuilt or was the original wood. If I were to guess, I would say it is rebuilt. Right now, it is usually easy to determine what is original by the relatively poor shape of the wood - the rebuilt sections have very crisp, fresh wood. As the years roll by, telling them apart will become more difficult.

 Looking back toward the garden from the gazebo, this is the view. Most of the rooms in the HotS are behind that patio at the center of the photo.

 This is the view when I turned my head to the left from the same position by the gazebo.

 This house contained many famous statues that I had been aware of before the trip, including "Drunken Hercules". This light-hearted statue portrays an older Hercules barely able to remain upright after a night of revelry.

 Another famous statue showing a man with a bag of wine - this statue is titled "Satyr with a Wineskin".

 Note that all the statues on the site are reproductions - the originals are now in museums. This is a reproduction of the marble table that was found in the garden.

 And finally, one of my two least favorite statues: a deer being taken down by hounds.

 ...and the companion statue to the one above.

 One of the many rooms at the HotS. Most of the furniture in these rooms was removed by tunnelers during the 1800s. Some of that furniture is now in museums.

 Walking back to the main house, one can look out the window and see this view on the side of the house away from the street. My back would have been to the garden rectangle at this point.

 Another view look in the same direction, from a window not too far from the window above.

 This is the dining room which opens up onto the garden rectangle. It is decorated with red bands on a black background. Behind this room is a long hallway that leads to the kitchen and latrine. Having a kitchen is another sign that this home was owned by the wealthy.

 I am not certain what this room is called, but it is another great example of the fresco painting that was used throughout the home.

 As if any more evidence was needed as to the status of this family, a bronze bathtub was also found in this home eliminating the need for them to use the public baths. I'm not sure where this photo was taken in relation to the bathroom, but this is a shot I took as we headed back to the entry where we started our HotS tour.

 I believe this is the other wall in the entryway, opposite the first photo in this post but I'm not sure. It is somewhere in that general area.

And finally, back out onto the street we now call Cardo V. We are now heading inland, toward Mount Vesuvius and away from the beach. What house will we visit next? I have no idea! I'll have to go process more pictures in Photoshop!