Casa del Moralista

The Casa del Moralista ( house of the moral preacher , also house of C. Arrius Crescens and M. Epidius Hymenaeus ) (III 4, 2–3) is located in Pompeii . They are actually two residential buildings that are connected to each other. They were excavated in 1916 and 1917.

The small house III 4, 2 had an atrium and various rooms around it. The house, including a painted ceiling, was largely destroyed during a bombing in 1943. In contrast to most houses with an atrium, it did not have an impluvium , which was otherwise used to absorb rainwater. The much larger house III 4, 3 was still being renovated - during the excavation the quantities of lime necessary for the restoration were found - when Pompeii was buried in 79 AD. Most of the rooms are not plastered. The only room fully restored at the time of the destruction is the triclinium with its simple painted decoration. Three moralizing distiches , which gave the house its name, adorned its walls. To what extent they were meant ironically is unclear.

Distichon on the right wall:

Abluat unda pedes, puer et detergeat udos

Mappa torum velet, lintea nostra cave!

“Let water wash your feet, let the servant dry them; the napkin cover the cushion; be careful not to use our tablecloths! "

Distichon on the left wall:

(Insanas) lites odiosaque iurgia differ

Si potes aut gressus ad tua tecta refer!

"Avoid quarrels and hateful arguments, or direct your steps back into your house."

Distichon on the back wall:

Lascivos voltus et blandos on ocellos

Coniuge ab alterius sit tibi in ore pudor!

"Avoid lascivious expressions and covetous looks from someone else's wife, speak cheekily to you."

Since no remains of a roofing were found on the ground, one can assume that the opening to the sky was once covered with fabric and that it was a summer triclinium. It opened onto a large garden with a statue of Diana in the middle .

The name M. Epidius Hymenaeus appears on five election recommendations on the facade of the house. The name can also be found on six wine amphorae that were found in the house, and it is known from a wax tablet by Caecilius Iucundus, which can be dated to the year 56 AD. M. Epidius Hymenaeus was therefore a wine merchant and probably one of the owners of the house. Other names that appear in the house are C. Arrius Crescens and T. Arrius Polites. They were all wine merchants and may have lived in these two units together.

literature

• Eugenio La Rocca, M. de Vos Raaijmakers, A. des Vos: Lübbe's archaeological guide Pompeii . Gustav Lübbe Verlag, Bergisch Gladbach 1979, ISBN 3-7857-0228-0 , pp. 236-238.

Coordinates: 40 ° 45 ′ 7 ″  N , 14 ° 29 ′ 31 ″  E