I.10.4 Pompeii. Casa del Menandro or House of Menander or House of the Silver Treasure.
Excavated 1928, 1930 and 1932.
Quick Outline:
This Quickie page has been created to give an appreciation of the main rooms and areas of the beautiful House of Menander without the need to navigate the many detailed pages of photographs.
Detail:
If you are interested to see the house in more detail, you can see the rooms in much greater detail in these subsequent parts:
Peristyle - Rooms 21-25, P, P1 and
Peristyle Garden
Bath and Kitchen - Rooms 26-29, M, M1, M2,
46-49, R[50], S [50] and lower floor A-D
I.10.4 Pompeii. December 2018.
Entrance doorway, looking south on Vicolo del Menandro. Photo
courtesy of Aude Durand.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2022.
Looking south across atrium from entrance corridor. Photo courtesy
of Johannes Eber.
In the fauces or entrance corridor is a painting of swan with wings outstretched.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2021.
Looking towards east side of atrium with doorways to rooms 3 and
4. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.
I.10.4 Pompeii. August 2021. Room 4, looking east. Photo
courtesy of Robert Hanson.
In this room are paintings of Ajax dragging Cassandra from the Palladium before the eyes of Priam, Cassandra and the wooden Trojan horse, and the Death of Laocoon.
I.10.4 Pompeii. December 2018.
Atrium, looking towards east wall in south-east corner, near
corridor 9 and tablinum 8. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
In the atrium are paintings of architectural scenes, theatrical
masks, portrait medallions and birds, including ducks and a parrot.
I.10.4 Pompeii. August 2021.
Looking south across impluvium in atrium towards the
tablinum, room 8. Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
A wood and bronze triclinium bed was found in Room 8, the tablinum, on 18th August 1928.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2022.
Room 8, looking north across atrium from tablinum towards entrance
doorway. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2021. Looking north along
west side of atrium. Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2022. Aedicula lararium with stucco decoration, in north-west corner of atrium.
Behind is room 2 with stone stairs to an upper floor. Photo
courtesy of Johannes Eber.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2022.
Looking north across peristyle garden from south-west portico towards tablinum, atrium and entrance doorway.
The doorway to room 11 is behind the columns, in the corner
on the left. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2017.
Room 11, looking north from entrance doorway across mosaic floor
with square pattern.
The central mosaic emblema shows pygmies navigating along the Nile
in their boats.
On the walls are paintings of Andromeda and Perseus with the head of the Gorgon held high, a young Dionysus and Maenad, and one possibly a Satyr and cupid.
An upper border has painted centaurs and female figures and vertical panels have cupids.
The threshold mosaic has a multi-coloured meander pattern.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2017. Looking south along west portico
from outside doorway to room 11.
A dip in the floor shows the Sarno canal underneath.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
I.10.4 Pompeii. December 2018.
Looking south-east across peristyle, and south along west
portico towards south-west corner. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
On both the garden and portico sides of each wall between every two columns are scenes of hunts, and paintings of birds and plants.
On the left is an embedded puteal above a cistern mouth.
I.10.4 Pompeii. December 2006. Doorway to room 46, the baths’ area, in the west wall of portico.
The baths area has an atrium, a tepidarium (warm room) and a
caldarium (hot room). All have mosaic floors.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2019. Room 46, atrium and
impluvium of baths’ area, with columns and ornate mosaics and random pattern flooring.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2022.
Room 47, looking west across mosaic flooring in tepidarium
(warm room). Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2022.
Room 48, looking across ornate mosaic floor with marine theme, towards south-west corner with semi-circular alcove in caldarium (hot room).
Numerous athletic figures decorate the walls. The alcove has painted scenes, painted figures and a window decorated with stucco.
Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
I.10.4 Pompeii, December 2018.
Looking south along west portico to Sacrarium with built in altar and apsed niche.
The walls have painted columns and pilasters opening onto a painted garden with trees and birds.
Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
I.10.4 Pompeii. December 2018.
Alcove 25, altar to household gods against west wall. Photo
courtesy of Aude Durand.
The busts are plaster cast taken from the cavities left by the original wooden busts.
These were imagines maiorum, ancestor images, and were accompanied a statuette of a sitting youth, identified as a lar (protective household god).
Looking across peristyle garden towards east side from south-west portico.
The pediment and
window above room 18 can be seen. Photo
courtesy of Johannes Eber.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2019. Looking towards south side of
south portico, from south-west corner.
On the right is Alcove 25 (Sacrarium), followed by Alcove 24, 23,
and 22 and doorway to 21, in south-east corner.
Alcove 24 has a domed top decorated with stucco, underneath which
is a painting of Venus and cherubs in a temple.
Alcove 23 has the painting of the seated poet Menander.
Alcove 22 also has a domed top decorated with stucco, underneath
which is a painting of Diana and Acteon.
Room 21 has a mosaic emblema of satyr and maenad in the centre
of the mosaic floor.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2021.
Alcove 23, west wall with wall painting of a seated poet. Photo
courtesy of Klaus Heese.
The name of Menander was inscribed by the painter on the skirt of the man’s cloak.
In this alcove there are also painted masks, with possibly
Bacchus sitting on a chair with a robe covering his legs, and a painted table.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2019.
Room 21, mosaic emblema of satyr and maenad, in centre of mosaic floor. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
I.10.4 Pompeii. August 2021.
Looking north-west across peristyle garden from portico in south-east corner and showing some of the painted walls (pluteus).
Photo courtesy of Robert Hanson.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2017. Looking north along east portico,
with room 18, on right.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2019.
Room 19, looking towards north-east corner. Photo courtesy of Rick
Bauer.
On one wall is a painting of a satyr playing a flute or pipes to a
maenad.
In this room is also a wall painting of a cherub scared by a tragic mask held by a nymph.
Three skeletons (which were removed) were found here with a mattock and pickaxe which may have been used to dig the holes in the walls of the room to try to escape.
The display case contains skeletons of 10 others, who were found a
few days later in the adjacent corridor P1 at about 2.5 metres above the
ground.
They appeared to have fallen from an upstairs room.
I.10.4 Pompeii. August 2021. Room 18, looking east. Photo
courtesy of Robert Hanson.
Carbonised wood can be seen on the south side of the doorway.
On the walls are a painting of fishes, a painted panel of Satyr and Silenus and a muse with a scroll.
Below the floor are remains of shallow rooms with wall decoration and mosaic floors.
A painted stucco ceiling pediment can also be seen.
I.10.4 Pompeii. December 2018. Room
18, looking east at lower level. Photo courtesy of Aude Durand.
Below the room’s floor are remains of shallow rooms with wall decoration and mosaic floors.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2019. Corridor 16, looking east to room 17. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.
The corridor has stucco decoration including a vaulted ceiling.
I.10.4 Pompeii. October 2017.
Looking south along east portico with doorway to room 15, on left,
followed by rooms 16 (leading to room 17), 18, 19 and corridor P1.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
I.10.4 Pompeii. August 2021. Room 15, looking east. Photo
courtesy of Robert Hanson.
It has wall paintings of Perseus in the Palace of Cepheus, Andromeda liberated by Perseus and The Punishment of Dirce.
The mosaic floor is of a diamond pattern. Part of the ceiling can
also be seen.
I.10.4 Pompeii. April 2022. Looking south across peristyle from
north portico near to room 12. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.
I.10.4 Pompeii. September 2017. Room 12, looking north from
portico.
Foto Annette Haug, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.
The room has red and yellow panels and the remains of an upper
wall stucco border.
To explore in more detail, see:
Peristyle - Rooms 21-25, P, P1 and
Peristyle Garden
Bath and Kitchen - Rooms 26-29, M, M1, M2,
46-49, R[50], S [50] and lower floor A-D