House of the Greek Epigrams
Roman townhouse in Pompeii / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The House of the Greek Epigrams (Casa degli Epigrammi Greci, V 1,18) is a Roman residence in the ancient town of Pompeii that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. It is named after wall paintings with inscriptions from Greek epigrams in a small room (y) next to the peristyle.
House of the Greek Epigrams | |
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Casa degli Epigrammi Greci | |
General information | |
Status | archaeological remains |
Architectural style | Roman fauces-atrium-tablinum matrix |
Classification | Townhouse |
Location | Pompeii, Roman Empire |
Address | V, I, 18, Via del Vesuvio, Pompei, Italy |
Town or city | Pompei |
Country | Italy |
Coordinates | 40°45′08″N 14°29′09″E |
Current tenants | 0 |
Named for | Greek epigrams on the wall in room "y" |
Construction started | 2nd half of the 2nd century BCE |
Renovated | Third quarter of 1st century BCE |
Destroyed | 79 |
Known for | Frescoes depicting the myth of Admetus and Alcestis, Danae with the child Perseus, Mars and Venus, and Theseus and Ariadne |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 26 (lower floor) |
The home at the time it was destroyed was the result of merging at least two earlier dwellings dating back to the second half of the second century B.C.E. It is estimated this merger occurred around the third quarter of the first century B.C.E. It is thought further alterations took place in the second half of the first century CE as well.
The remains of a staircase at another of the home's entrances, V 1,12, indicate there was once an upper floor over that portion of the house, probably used as an apartment rental. Another staircase was found in the south end of the west portico of the peristyle that appears to be associated with the same service functions as the rooms directly below.[1]