endlessrarities | Time for Some Pretty Stuff!! (Reply)

And now for something completely different....

I thought I'd feature some of the more photogenic aspects of Herculaneum. Which is, by all accounts, a bit more upmarket than Pompeii. The Roman equivalent of Kelvinside or Newton Mearns, perhaps... Or perhaps Padstow would be a better comparison, as it appears to have been a coastal holiday resort.

Like Pompeii, the more desirable properties feature a courtyard, often featuring a fountain, with heavily ornamented walls and floors in the surrounding rooms and spaces. Highly decorated alcoves are a common feature - working from first principles, This feature is called a sacellum: I assumed at first that they were shrines, and I'm pleased to report that further research has supported this theory:-

This particular sacellum is part of the 'Skeleton House', so called because a charred skeleton was recovered from one of the upper storeys.

I know I'm not supposed to be guilty of favouritism, but I did find the artworks in Herculaneum more tasteful than those in Pompeii. Why, even the scenes of gruesome animal violence were unfailingly elegant:-

Another artwork from the same house is featured below. This mosaic features Neptune and Amphitrite, and the house, perhaps not surprisingly, is now called the 'Neptune and Amphitrite House':-

As a matter of interest, the shop featured yesterday, which still retained its in situ fixtures and fittings (and a surfeit of amphorae) was attached to this particular house.

One last glimpse inside another courtyard. Now, is this a seating area, or yet another sacellum? The 'seat' could arguably be a plinth for a statue.

Sadly, my little guidebook (New Guide to Herculaneum and Oplontis - Anon, Edizioni Kina Italia) does not feature a photograph of this particular structure, so I haven't a clue which house it came from!