Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Pompeii: Casa di Meleagro

 Farther down on Via di Mercurio is Casa di Meleagro which can be entered through this opening in the rather tall wall facing the street. Casa di Meleagro is number 20 on this map.
 Entering directly into the peristyle, we can see the remains of the columns that supported the roof.
 Some of the original pottery still adorns the garden.
 At the center of the garden is this 3 foot deep fish pond that was no doubt very beautiful basking in the bright Roman sun. The pond is made of concrete with a blue plaster coating, the upper edge topped with marble.
 This home was excavated in 1830, 1837 and 1966 and has this ununusual room with columns along both sides.
This home appears to have been made by combining two previous homes as there are three peristyles and two atriums. This home gets its name from paintings that were found in an atrium: one of Hercules, the other of Meleager. These paintings have been moved to museums.
 And finally one more room, with the frescoes largely intact.
And once again, back onto Via di Mercurio, looking back towards the forum!




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