Recent restoration work at ancient Pompeii has uncovered evidence that work was being done at the Library House, or Casa della Biblioteca, when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, according to Archeology News Network . First excavated in the 18th century and then again in the 1970s, this Library House in Pompeii was named after one of its inner rooms was visited by German scholar Volker Michael Strocka. identified as library.
Renovation work to stabilize the urban villa complex known as Insula Occidentalis, has allowed archaeologists to unearth previously undiscovered artifacts at the Library House in Pompeii. ( Pompeii – Parco Archaeologico )
Putting the Library House in context: Ancient Pompeii and its gruesome end
With panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples, the ancient city of Pompeii, is the land where wealthy Romans built opulent villas with lavish decorations, furniture and artwork. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pompeii and its surrounding area became very prosperous due to its rich agricultural land and proximity to the Bay of Naples.
So much so that many farms and villas were built nearby, outside the city. Many artifacts have been excavated. However, the most unique site in ancient Pompeii is the Insula Occidentalis, an urban villa complex divided between the 6th and 7th sectors.
Located on the western edge of Pompeii, it has spectacular views of the bay and has been home to ville urbane (urban villas) since the second century BC. They are located above the city walls and have terraces with views.
In 89 BC, Pompeii became the Roman colony of Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum under the command of the Roman general Sulla. After the merger, the villas increased in size and added a series of terraces sloping down to the sea.
All this prosperity and relaxation came to an abrupt end in 79 AD when a massive volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius covered the city and surrounding area in volcanic ash and pumice. Its ash covering has preserved it well, the discovery of the ancient city in modern times has given a fascinating insight into Roman life in the first century AD, frozen in the present moment.
One of the frescoes of the Library House in Pompeii. (Pompeii Archaeological Park)
Home of the Library and its wonders
Initial excavations by the Bourbon family in the 18th century, followed by later excavations in the 1970s, brought to light many urban villas with beautiful frescoes. In recent months, work has been ongoing to restore Pompeii’s Insula Occidentalis and in particular the House of the Library, the House of the Golden Armlet, the House of Fabius Rufus and the House of Castricio.
The House of the Library, located on Vicolo del Pharmacista, south of the intersection with Via Consolare, is perhaps the most representative of the leisure and meditation of the occupants of urban villas. And it is from here that new discoveries have been unearthed, including life in the final moments before volcanic ash extinguished it.
The entrance to the Pompeii Library House, located on the west side of the Vicolo del Pharmacista, opens directly into the atrium with its tetrastil (four columns) surrounding the central imluvium pool. The atrium is in poor condition and the walls have almost collapsed. Only a few broken columns testify to its former grandeur.
However, on the east wall of the Library House, on either side of the entrance and on the south side, traces of wall frescoes can be seen. The frescoes are made up of dark red panels framed with white lines on a light green background above a low frieze, Ermakvagus.com said.
From the southeast corner of the atrium, a large room opens. Once again, it was ruined. The remains of frescoes here largely consist of painted columns on a predominantly red background above a high yellow and red frieze. The bedroom in the northwest corner of the atrium is decorated with clearer red rectangles on a yellow background.
Explore the interior of the Library House in Pompeii
The room known as “the library” still has a spectacular fresco depicting a figure crowned with ivy, holding a scroll, a lyre, and a case of books. It has been tentatively identified as Philoxenus of Kythera who lived in the second half of the 5th century BC and was composed in Greek.
A worked stone plate, a copper or bronze vase and an olla (jar) discovered in the Library House at Pompeii all appear to have been used for fresco painting. The round, polished stone disc still bears traces of glass fragments ready for the milling process necessary to create Egyptian Blue, a blue pigment used for painting.
The copper vessel contained a small iron crucible that was probably used to heat the oxides during the pigment production process. Olla is found opposite the threshold connecting a large vaulted room with the terrace. Both findings are currently undergoing content analysis.
An ancient city painfully frozen in time, Pompeii is one of Italy’s biggest tourist attractions. Although many of the outstanding wall frescoes that decorated its villas are now kept in museums, some decorative fragments remain on the ruined walls. The latest discoveries from the Library House give insight into some of the processes that go into creating their paintings.
