The Insula of the Menander at Pompeii Volume I: The Structures Volume 1: The Structures

by Ling, Roger; Arthur, Paul; Clarke, Georgia; Lazer, Estelle; Ling, Lesley; Rush, Peter; Waters, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780198134091
• ISBN10: 0198134096
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-07-17
• Publisher: Clarendon Press

Summary

This is the first of three volumes which offer a detailed analysis of one of the major city-blocks of ancient Pompeii, destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. Excavated between 1926 and 1932, the Insula of Menander is so named after the structure that occupies over half the block'stotal area of 3,500 square metres, the House of the Menander, one of the grandest mansions of the city. Other, smaller houses, notably the House of the Lovers and the House of the Craftsmen, occupy outlying parts, and a number of shops and apartments are interspersed among them. The purpose of thepresent volume is to document a complete survey of the architecture of the block and thus trace the structural history of the Insula, with its intricate pattern of changing property-boundaries, over the 250-300 years of its existence. Subsequent volumes will examine the decorations (wall-paintingsand mosaic pavements) and the objects that were found during excavation. Paradoxically, while Pompeii is one of the best known of all Roman archaeological sites, very few areas of the site have been fully published. This is the first time a global study has been undertaken of one of the majorcity-blocks and it shows the enormous potential of such investigations to reveal insights into the social history of the city.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii	(4)
List of Plates	xi	(5)
List of Figures	xvi	(2)
Abbreviations	xviii
Introduction	1	(6)
PART I: GENERAL BACKGROUND	7	(16)
The insula: Position, Terrain, Layout	7	(3)
Excavation and Restoration	10	(4)
Building Materials and Techniques	14	(3)
Problems of Interpretation and Dating	17	(6)
PART II: THE INDIVIDUAL HOUSES	23	(200)
Introduction	23	(2)
I 10, 1	25	(13)
I 10, 2-3	38	(9)
I 10, 4: Casa del Menandro	47	(98)
Introduction	47	(1)
Atrium Complex	48	(11)
Peristyle Complex	59	(33)
Kitchen Quarter	92	(13)
Stableyard Area and Staff Quarters	105	(27)
Development and Functioning of the House	132	(10)
The Ownership of the House	142	(3)
I 10, 5 and 6	145	(5)
I 10, 7: Casa del Fabbro	150	(21)
I 10, 8 and 9	171	(26)
I 10, 10-11: Casa degli Amanti	197	(15)
I 10, 18	212	(11)
PART III: THE WHOLE INSULA	223	(34)
Structural History of the insula	223	(15)
Discussion	238	(19)
Appendices	257	(88)
A. Gazetteer	257	(68)
Roger Ling
Georgia Clarke
B. Pottery in Structural Contexts	325	(7)
Paul Arthur
C. The Excavation of the Casa del Menandro and the Room Numbers in the Giornale degli Scavi	332	(2)
D. Geophysical Report	334	(2)
Peter Rush
Andrew Waters
E. Thresholds and Doorways	336	(6)
Lesley A. Ling
F. Human Skeletal Remains in the Casa del Menandro, Room 19	342	(3)
Estelle Lazer
Additional Figures	345	(40)
Bibliography	385	(6)
Index	391