Condition Assessment - Regio I, Insula 12 (Formerly Regio II, Insula 2)
The photomosaic image below shows the condition of Regio I, Insula 12 at the time it was photographed in 2005. The city block is 32.83 meters in length. The facade was excavated in 1914 and it was further explored in 1953-1955 and 1961. There are five entrances: two doors to a bakery, one workshop and two inns or taverns. The exterior walls of the block were constructed in opus incertum (stone rubble embedded in concrete) with opus testaceum (fired brick) and ashlar piers. There is one quoin of opus vittatum mixtum (a combination of brick and stone blocks) at the easternmost corner. The restored balcony was built in opus craticium (timber framework).
Click image below to enlarge
This elevation drawing of the city block was created by Alberto Sanarica for Vittorio Spinazzola and shows the condition of Regio I, Insula 12 after it was excavated in 1914. 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 1914 excavation photograph on the left above shows Insula I, 12 during restoration construction. As can be seen in the photomosaic image on the right, much of the wall paster shown in the photo has since perished.
The two watercolors above by Alberto Sanarica are hypothetical reconstructions of portions of the block. They show both wall colors and paintings that have since perished, or that are badly faded.
This charcoal drawing by Alberto Sanarica is a hypothetical reconstruction of Insula I, 12. Although the drawing was based upon evidence encountered during the excavations, much of the information is conjecture.
[Permission to display the black and white photograph above has been granted by the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali – Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei. This image may NOT be copied or reproduced in any manner.]
[The watercolors and charcoal 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.]