Condition Assessment - Regio IX, Insula 13
The photomosaic image below shows the condition of Regio IX, Insula 13 at the time it was photographed in 2005. The city block is 32.44 meters in length. The facade was excavated in 1912-1913 and interior spaces were excavated in 1964, 1966 and 1970. There are six entrances: one apartment, one atrium house, one fullery and house, two shops and one workshop. The ground floor exterior walls of the west half of the block (on left) were constructed primarily in opus incertum (stone rubble embedded in concrete) with ashlar piers and opus testaceum (fired brick) at the westernmost corner. The eastern end of the block was constructed in opus incertum with ashlar piers and opus testaceum at the easternmost corner.
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This elevation drawing of the city block was created by Alberto Sanarica for Vittorio Spinazzola and shows the condition of Regio IX, Insula 13 after it was excavated in 1912-1913. The dark shaded areas of the drawing represent the portions actually excavated, the lighter shaded areas represent restorations and the single lines are hypothetical additions.
[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.]
The center photograph, above, was taken during the excavation of the west end of Regio IX, Insula 13 in 1916. This image, and the one on the left, shows the original wall plaster and dipinti decoration that was found. The west corner of the block was bombed in 1943 causing significant damage. A section of the photomosaic, on the right, shows this area as it was rebuilt after the war.
The 1916 photograph on the left, above, shows the center of the city block after its excavation. Plaster was used to create the appearance of opus quadratum (large ashlar blocks). As can be seen from a section of the photomosaic, on the right, most of this decoration has since perished. Also, the narrow windows to the right of the doorway are no longer visible and the plaster cast of the wooden door has been removed. The original excavations only managed to salvage a small portion of the upper stories. The complete second story is a modern reconstruction.
The photograph on the left, above, shows the east end of the city block after its excavation. A number of wall paintings and geometric designs decorated the facade of the buildings. As can be seen from a section of the photomosaic, on the right, much of the plaster has since perished, and the remaining wall paintings are badly faded.
The watercolor on the left was created by Alberto Sanarica for Vittorio Spinazzola. It shows a hypothetical reconstruction of the east end of Regio IX, Insula 13, including the wall paintings shown in the photograph above. On the right is a hypothetical reconstruction drawing of the west end of the city block made by G. Luciano, which appears to have been used as a blueprint for rebuilding the structures after WW II.
[Permission to display the four 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.]
[The watercolor and drawing above are from Pompei alla luce degli scavi nuovi di Via dell'Abbondanza (anni 1910-1923) by Vittorio Spinazzola. Permission to display these images has been granted as a courtesy by the publisher, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Rome. These images may NOT be copied or reproduced in any manner without the permission of the publisher.]