Pompeii Porta Nocera
Tombs. South West side of Via delle Tombe.
Tombs 17aOS, 17bOS, 19OS,
19aOS, 19bOS and 21OS.
Tomb 17aOS. Tomb of Popidius Nicostratus
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2010. Tombs 17a and 17b, at the rear of 17OS.
Between the two tombs, facing south, were two female columellae, without inscriptions.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. 17a b OS.
Pompeii
Porta Nocera. May 2006. Tomb 17aOS.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. Tomb 17aOS. Found on 13th December 1956, SAP
inventory 11737. Photo courtesy of Miriam Colomer.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. Tomb 17aOS. December 2023. Description card from Boscoreale Antiquarium. Photo
courtesy of Miriam Colomer.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. Tomb 17aOS. Found on 13th December 1956, SAP inventory 11737. Photo courtesy of Michael Binns.
Marble relief from the tomb of Popidius Nicostratus with inscription -
NICOSTRATVS
POPIDIVS SIBI ET
POPIDIAE ECDOCHE
CONCVBINAE SVAE
ET SVIS
The inscription
reads -
Nicostratus
Popidius sibi et
Popidiae Ecdoche
Concubinae suae
et suis
According to Cooley this translates as
Nicostratus Popidius (erected this monument) for himself and his concubine Popidiae Ecdoche and his family.
See Cooley, A. and M.G.L., 2004. Pompeii: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge. H60b, p. 178.
According to D’Ambrosio, the relief was found in pieces, reused in the floor and vault of the tomb.
It was not therefore related to the tomb.
It represents the tools of a surveyor.
On the left is a representation of a groma.
On the right is a length of coiled cord and two measuring rods tied together.
In the incomplete corner was probably a lead plumb line (perpendiculum), which was used with the groma.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. 17a b OS.
According to Sampaolo, the epigraphic characters and the tablets reuse indicate Popidius Nicostratus was probably active in the first decades of the first century d.C./A.D.
Perhaps the grave of Nicostratus, damaged by the 62AD earthquake, was not restored anymore.
See Sampaolo V.,
in Pompei 1748-1980, I tempi della
documentazione. p. 206-7.
Tomb 17bOS. Tomb of Titus Muttius Proculus and Lucius Muttius Martialis
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2006. Tomb 17bOS. Tomb of Titus Muttius Proculus and Lucius Muttius Martialis.
According to D’Ambrosio, a columella was found inserted in the wall with the Latin inscription -
T MVTT
IVS PRO
CVLVS V
A XXV.
He expands this to
T(itus) Muttius
Proculus v(ixit) a(nnis) XXV
He also says The Giornale di Scavi (11th August 1955) recorded a second columella with the inscription
L MVTTIVS
MARTIALIS.
He expands this to
L(ucius) Muttius
Martialis.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. 17a b OS.
Pompeii Porta
Nocera. May 2006. Tomb 17bOS.
According to D’Ambrosio, in front of the tomb, facing east, four columellae were found.
From south to north these were -
A female
columella of lava.
A small marble
columella
A lava columella,
no longer in situ.
A columella carved from a marble slab, but with its head missing.
All were without inscriptions.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. 17a b OS.
Tomb 19OS. Unidentified tomb
Looking north-west from rear of 19OS, along the Via delle Tombe, across towards the city walls. May 2010.
Looking east along rear of 19OS and 17OS to 15OS and 13OS. May 2011. Photo courtesy of Buzz Ferebee.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2006. Tomb 19OS. Rear of tomb.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2006. Tomb 19OS. Area at rear of tomb.
A columella was found towards the rear and outside the tomb. It had no inscription and the tomb could not be identified.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2010. Tomb 19OS. Rear south side, with arched recess in centre.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2010. Tomb 19OS. Arched recess, in the south side at the rear.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. Tomb 19OS, at the rear. Columella in white limestone in the shape of a cross.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. (19OS)
Pompeii Porta Nocera. October 2024.
Looking east on Via delle Tombe, from Tomb 190S, in centre, with Tomb 190aOS, on right. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2006. Tomb 19OS. West side of tomb, looking east.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2006. Tomb 19OS. Front of tomb.
Tomb 19aOS. Tomb of Helle Puella
Pompeii Porta Nocera. Tombs 19aOS and 19bOS behind 19OS. Looking across 21OS to rear of tomb 19OS.
Tomb 19aOS was an enclosure or recinto at the shoulder of tomb 19OS. It is now completely buried.
Pompeii
Porta Nocera. Tomb 19aOS. Cippus of Helle Puella.
On display in exhibition “L’altra
Pompei, vite comuni all’ombra del Vesuvio”.
Photo courtesy of
Giuseppe Ciaramella.
A marble columella was found with the inscription -
HELLE PVEL
LA VIXIT AN
NIS IV.
This reads as
Helle Puella
vixit annis IV
The tomb name is unknown, and according to De Caro, it is unlikely to be that of the four-year-old slave Helle Puella.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. (19aOS).
Tomb 19bOS. Unidentified tomb not visible today.
Tomb 19bOS was further to the south behind tomb 19aOS close to the escarpment forming the boundary of the tombs.
This also is not visible today.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. (19bOS).
Tomb 21OS. Tomb of the gens Stallia, Stallia Haphe, Bebrix
Looking north-west over 21OS towards Via delle Tombe, from rear of 19OS. May 2010.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2010. Tomb 21OS. Tomb of the gens Stallia. Rear south wall.
Pompeii Porta Nocera. May 2010. Tomb 21OS (centre). Tomb of the gens Stallia.
Two columelle were found with inscriptions -
STALLIAE / HAPHE
G(aiae) L(ibertae).
BEBRIX / VIX(it) AN(nis)
VI.
D’Ambrosio attributes the tomb name to the gens Stallia as the Bebrix in the second inscription was a slave and only lived to the age of six.
See D’Ambrosio, A. and De Caro, S., 1983. Un Impegno per Pompei: Fotopiano e documentazione della Necropoli di Porta Nocera. Milano: Touring Club Italiano. (21OS).
Pompeii Porta Nocera. Tomb 21OS. March 2024. Tomb of Bebryx.
The columella has the inscription -
BEBRYX / VIX(it)
AN(nis) VI.
On display in exhibition “L’altra Pompei, vite comuni all’ombra del Vesuvio”.
Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella.