III.8.8 Pompeii. Caupona of Astylus. Excavated 1844, 1903-1905.

III.8.8 Pompeii. June 2019. Looking south towards entrance doorway into bar-room.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2005. Entrance on Via di Nola.

According to Della Corte, on the walls of this bar the following electoral recommendation in support of the candidate C. Calvenzio Sittio Magno, was found:

Ego Astylus sum (qui rogo?) [CIL IV 423]

See Della Corte, M., 1965. Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p. 139)

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de), it read as –

C(aium) Calventium

Sittium IIv(irum) i(ure) d(icundo) ego

Astylus sum      [CIL IV 423]

III.8.8 Pompeii. Also referred to on some plans as III.9.A.

Drawing c.1841 by G. Abbate of painting of two figures found on the north side of the III.8/9.

According to the ICCD Scheda this is the "teste di Diana cacciatrice e di Iside Fortuna e iscrizione" (heads of Diana the Huntress and Isis-Fortuna, and inscriptions).

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 351945.

Photo © ICCD. https://www.catalogo.beniculturali.it

Utilizzabili alle condizioni della licenza Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Condividi allo stesso modo 2.5 Italia (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 IT)

A similar drawing by Abbate [1841] is in the Fondo Pietro Bianchi, Archivio Cantonale di Bellinzona, Svizzera, inventory number B12.1.219, see below.

According to Varone and Stefani this shows the busts of Africa and Sicilia and the inscriptions CIL IV 422-4.

See Varone, A. and Stefani, G., 2009. Titulorum Pictorum Pompeianorum, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider, p. 294

Avellino identifies the find as Alessandria e Sicilia.

"And consequently, we should not be surprised that the effigies of Alexandria and Sicily were chosen to adorn the wall of one of the busiest and most spacious streets of Pompeii".

See Bullettino Archeologico Napoletano I, 1842 p. 4-5.

The Epigraphic Database Roma records the inscriptions as

Sạmellium
aed(ilem) o(ro) v(os) f(aciatis)    [CIL IV 422]

C(aium) Calventium
Sittium I̅I̅ v(irum) i(ure) d(icundo)
ego
Astylus sum   [CIL IV 423]

L(ucium) Popidium
Secundum aed(ilem) ô(ro) v̂(os) f(aciatis)   [CIL IV 424]

III.8.8 Pompeii.  Drawing by G. Abbate, 1841, of two figures.

Now in Archivio Cantonale di Bellinzona inv. B12.1.219.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Entrance to bar on Via di Nola, looking east.

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Entrance with two-sided counter.

According to Sogliano, the threshold or sill was made from three pieces of lava stone.

The groove for the shutters was seen in the front of the podium or counter.

At the end of the podium was the real entrance, the threshold was flat, and not grooved, to allow free movement of the door shutter.

The shutter ran on a hinge which was embedded in the frame.

The podium or sales counter was formed from fragments of different species of coloured marbles.

Facing the road was an embedded fragment of a slab of white marble

On it was discovered the face of a maenad, chipped in the nose and chin, but of good execution.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p.274).

At the rear of the bar room there was an entrance to the atrium of III.8.7 (now blocked).

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. East side of bar-room.

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. East wall of bar, with a window from an upstairs room.

According to Sogliano, the walls were plastered with a background of dark-yellow, divided by vertical bands of green.

The bases of the walls were dark green. The east wall was the best preserved and showed three panels.

The central panel contained a painting of a peacock pecking on a seedling.

The two side panels each had a painting of a griffin, facing each other.

To the left of the griffin in the right panel, a painting of Mercury was seen but which was largely faded.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p.274).

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. North-east corner of bar room.

On 1st April 1903, whilst clearing the earth away up to a metre from the old ground level, two human skeletons were found.

With them were large terracotta amphora fragments, and a slab of white marble (0.70 x 0.46m).

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p.275).

According to Luongo et al, the two skeletons were found in the north-east corner.

They numbered Astylus’s thermopolium as being at Reg. III, Insula 9.

See G. Luongo et al: Impact of the AD79 explosive eruption on Pompeii, in Journal of Volcanology & Geothermal Research 126 (2003) (p.185).

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. North-east corner of bar room.

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Remains of painted plaster on south wall.

According to Sogliano, another painted flying griffin was seen in the first panel on the left of the south wall.

The south wall also had a doorway leading to at least two other rooms, which were not yet excavated.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p.274).

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. South wall of bar-room, in the front on the left, with doorway through to rear rooms.

At the rear on the left are the upper walls on the east side. Looking south at the unexcavated rooms.

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Looking west from rear of two-sided bar counter.

On 13th December 1902 at the edge of the podium or counter, a skeleton of a young boy was found.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p.275).

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. Rear of counter, looking west.

The remains of the hearth can be seen on the left, and the one embedded urn on the right.

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. West wall of bar-room.

III.8.8 Pompeii. October 2022.

Marble table-leg depicting a hermaphrodite, according to NdS – found near the west wall.

Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

III.8.8 Pompeii. October 2022. Information card from exhibition held in Palaestra. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

III.8.8 Pompeii. Description of find of marble table-leg depicting a hermaphrodite, found near the west wall.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p. 275)

III.8.8 Pompeii. Description (continued) of find of marble table-leg depicting a hermaphrodite, found near the west wall.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p. 277)

Approximate translation:

On April 1, 1903, clearing the land up to a meter from the ancient soil, two human skeletons were found with a large, fragmented terracotta amphora next to it; also a white marble slab of the size of m. 0.70 x 0.46. Near the western wall of the thermopolium the upper part of the foot, in white marble, of a table came to light; on May 23, 1905, the remaining lower part was found (see attached figure). The whole consists of a moulded pedestal, m high. 0.16, on which rests a herm of Hermaphroditus, m tall. 0.65, wearing a chiton enclosed under the breast with a bow tie knot and raised before the erect phallus. His head is covered by a cloth which, after having encircled the forehead, descends over the neck passing behind the ears almost like an Egyptian klaft (khat). The few hairs that appear at the temples bear traces of light red colouring. His face appears corroded by the action of water. Behind the head there is a kind of small parallelepiped of marble, which was used to better support and hold in place the surface of the table by means of a pivot for which there is a hole.

III.8.8 Pompeii.

Marble table-leg depicting a hermaphrodite, found near the west wall.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p. 276)

III.8.8 Pompeii. May 2010. North-west corner of bar room.

According to the Giorn. dei Soprastanti, near the right entrance pillar of the bar room at the height of about a metre from the ground, a human skeleton was found in the lapilli.

Found leaning against him was a large broken amphora in many pieces.

Found between the podium and the amphora was a large grey slab of marble.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p. 275)

III.8.8 Pompeii May 2010. Threshold or sill.

According to Sogliano, the wide entrance doorway had a threshold of lava stone, made from three pieces.

Many shards of glass vessels were found in the space between the podium and the door.

These probably fell from the counter at the time of the disaster.

The most noteworthy was a fragment of one with a circular mouth (diam.0.15m), a beautiful rosy-coloured glass with spherical belly.

See Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1905, (p.273 & p.275).

III.9 Pompeii, on left. May 2005.                Blocked roadway, looking south.                               III.8.8, on right.