Condition Assessment - Regio I, Insula 7 I-7 M 280

Regio I, Insula 7 is 41.35 meters in length and was first explored in 1868.  The facade was excavated in 1911-1912 and further excavations were carried out in 1923-1924 and 1927.  There are eight entrances: four houses, one shop, two workshops and a food and drink establishment.  The exterior walls of the block were constructed in opus incertum (stone rubble embedded in concrete) with opus testaceum (fired brick) and ashlar piers.  The piers on each side of the forth door from the left are opus vittatum mixtum (a combination of brick and stone blocks) and the doorway has been narrowed.  The westernmost corner (on right) was built in opus vittatum mixtum and the easternmost corner in ashlar blocks.

Click image below to enlarge

I-7 960 cas d960 i-7 283 d

This elevation drawing of the city block was created by Alberto Sanarica for Vittorio Spinazzola and shows the condition of Regio I, Insula 7 after it was excavated in 1911-1912.  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.  Much of the wall plaster shown on the drawing has since perished.

[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.]

i-7 ca 1 d

The two photographs above show the early stages of the excavation of Insula I, 7 in 1911.  The image on the left shows the entrance to the House of P. Paquius Proculus (doorway I,7,1), while the one on the right shows the facade of the city block.

i-7 ca 2 dThe photograph on the left above shows Insula I, 7 soon after its excavation and partial restoration construction.  As can be seen in the photomosaic image on the right, the dipinti to the right of the entrance door to the House of P. Paquius Proculus (doorway I,7,1) has completely faded, and almost all of the exterior wall paster on the left side of the doorway has perished.

i-7 ca 3 dThe dipinti revealed by the excavations was distinct and vivid (above left).  However, as can be seen in the corresponding part of the 2005 photomosaic (above right), the upper level of the decorated wall plaster has disappeared, and the lower colored level has faded.

i-7 ca 4 d
The photograph on the left shows Insula I, 7 during its restoration construction.  As can be seen in the photomosaic image on the right, much of the exterior wall paster has perished, and the decoration on the remaining plaster is badly faded.

i-7 ca 5 dThe photograph on the left above shows doorway I, 7, 8  soon after its excavation.  As can be seen in the photomosaic image on the right, the dipinti to the right of the entrance has faded, and all of the exterior wall paster on the left side of the doorway has perished.

i-7 ca 6 d

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


This charcoal drawing, created by Alberto Sanarica for Victorio Spinazzola, is a hypothetical reconstruction of Insulae I, 7.  Although the drawing was based upon evidence encountered during the excavations, much of the information is conjecture.

 [Permission to display the six 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 image of the charcoal drawing above is 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.]

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