Condition Assessment - Regio III, Insula 5
The photomosaic image below shows the condition of Regio III, Insula 5 at the time it was photographed in 2007. The city block is 33.35 meters in length. The facade of the western half of the block (on left) was excavated in 1916-1917, while the east half was explored in 1935-1936. There are five entrances: two houses, two shops and an inn or tavern. The exterior walls of the west half of the block were constructed in opus incertum (stone rubble embedded in concrete) with opus vittatum mixtum (a combination of brick and stone blocks) piers. The east end was constructed from opus incertum with ashlar piers.
Click image below to enlarge
This elevation drawing of the west end of the city block was created by Alberto Sanarica for Vittorio Spinazzola and shows the condition of Regio III, Insula 5 after it was excavated in 1916-1917. The balance of the insula was not excavated by Spinazzola. Although it was based upon evidence encountered during the excavations, much of the information is conjecture.
[From Pompei alla luce degli scavi nuovi di Via dell'Abbondanza (anni 1910-1923) by Vittorio Spinazzola. Permission to display this image has been granted as a courtesy by the publisher, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Rome. This image may NOT be copied or reproduced in any manner without the permission of the publisher.]
This 1918 excavation photograph shows the western end of the block partially uncovered, including the remnants of a restored balcony.
The 1919 excavation photograph on the left shows the east end of Regio III, Insula 5 with its restored balcony. The east and west corners of the block were bombed in 1943 destroying the balcony and damaging the facade. The photomosaic image on the right shows the condition of the east end of the repaired building frontage in 2007. Some of the painted wall plaster remains on the west end of the block, but much has perished or faded.
[Permission to display the two black and white photographs above has been granted by the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali – Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei. These images may NOT be copied or reproduced in any manner.]