Notes on Pompeii-Herculaneum Case Studies, Post-Earthquake Architecture, and Seismic Damage Interpretation
Case Study: House of the Vettii (Pompeii)
The lecture uses the House of the Vettii as a detailed case study to understand post-earthquake repairs, ownership changes, and architectural/pictorial choices in Pompeii and how these reflect broader social and economic decisions in the aftermath of the AD 62 earthquake and leading up to the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.
Ownership context:
The Vettii (Vedii) case is highly contested by scholars, particularly regarding whether they were brothers (Aulus Vettius Conviva and Aulus Vettius Restitutus) and whether they were ex-slaves (freedmen). Traditionally, the wealth displayed in the house, combined with a perceived lack of high political office, has led to the interpretation that they were successful freedmen who accumulated their wealth through trade, possibly wine. This narrative suggests significant social mobility in Pompeii. Despite the uncertainty, the house reveals common patterns of adaptive reuse and redecoration after the AD 62 earthquake: many urban villas and mansions opted to repair only what they could afford or wanted to invest, sometimes selling at fire-sale prices.
In the Vedii case, while inscriptions are not entirely conclusive, the post-earthquake ownership is almost certainly different from the pre-earthquake ownership, indicating a change of hands that allowed the Vettii to implement their distinctive decorative program.
Economic and repair decisions:
Following the destructive AD 62 earthquake, many house owners in Pompeii judged comprehensive structural repairs as too costly or not worth the investment. This often led to piecemeal repairs, partial reconstruction, or the selling off of properties cheaply to new owners willing to undertake the necessary work.
The Vettii are examples of new owners who purchased the property post-earthquake, likely at a reasonable price, and then undertook significant renovations. They restocked and repainted the house to their taste, with repairs and changes that clearly reflected their new ownership and economic priorities, focusing on interior aesthetics and comfort rather than extensive structural overhauls.
In contrast, several peristyle-style villas from the same period suggest that their owners remained the same, although this is not always explicitly evidenced by inscriptions.
Architectural plan and features of the House of the Vettii:
Layout: The house exhibits a typical Roman layout, featuring an atrium with an impluvium at the upper-right in the plan. A passageway connects the fauces (entrance) to the atrium, often leading to a four-columned peristyle at the back, which acts as an inner garden court, sometimes termed a walled-in portico that collected rainwater.
Impluvium: This is a crucial water-catching basin located in the atrium, designed to collect rainwater from the compluvium (the open roof above). The impluvium feeds into a cistern below, providing a crucial internal water supply that reduced the household's reliance on public fountains and aqueducts, a significant convenience in a Roman city.
Rainwater collection and plumbing:
Roof catchment systematically channels rainwater from the compluvium into the impluvium. As water drops into the cistern, it is aerated, which promotes circulation and reduces stagnation, maintaining water quality.
Lead pipes were extensively used for plumbing in Roman homes, carrying water from cisterns to various points in the house, including fountains and kitchens. However, post-earthquake repairs often showed low-budget improvisations, such as exposed pipes or less durable connections.
Over time, calcium carbonate deposits (lime scaling) could occur on lead pipes, reducing flow and requiring maintenance.
Domestic shrine (Lararium): Just inside the doorway, often located in the atrium or near the peristyle, was a shrine dedicated to the household deities, the Lares (ancestral spirits) and the Genius (the protective spirit of the head of the household). In the Vettii house, these are depicted as vibrant frescoes rather than small statuettes, indicative of the owners' display of wealth and artistic preference.
Fresco style and decoration:
The house is renowned for presenting a pastiche of artistic styles, spanning the 1st–4th centuries, showcasing the eclectic tastes of the Vettii and the evolving trends in Roman wall painting.
The Lares fresco depicts them typically with drinking horns (rhyta) and a central Genius figure, symbolizing protection and prosperity.
Dining rooms (triclinia) feature multiple fresco styles, mixing elements of the First Style (incrustation style, imitating marble blocks with painted stucco), Second Style (architectural, illusionistic depth, creating vistas and landscapes), and later Third/Fourth Styles (ornate, often with delicate small scenes set in elaborate architectural frames, and a return to larger framed mythological panels, often with a mix of illusionism and flat colors).
In the main dining room, a complex composition of mythic and narrative scenes is depicted, including Artemis and the hunt, and a poignant depiction interpreted as Agamemnon about to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia, with Artemis miraculously replacing her with a deer. These scenes demonstrate a sophisticated literary and artistic sensibility.
Several frescoes include violent or dark themes (e.g., women taken against their will, dismemberment scenes, sometimes associated with mythological punishment) alongside more lighthearted Putti (winged cherubic figures) depicted as gold makers or wine merchants, suggesting a broad range of interests and perhaps social commentary.
Garden and back walls:
A meticulously planned garden at the back of the peristyle featured frescoed walls and numerous small statues, many of which were likely originally functional fountains or fountain attachments, creating a dynamic water display.
Basins and water-related devices on the back walls indicate a complex water display program, far beyond basic impluvium use, showcasing the Vettii's desire for luxury and entertainment through sophisticated hydrological engineering.
Structural and decorative details:
The foundation utilized ashlar-style large blocks, suggesting solid construction, but upper walls and predella-like features displayed a third-style appearance with painted canvases or panels on some surfaces, mimicking more temporary or movable art. This blend hints at a conscious choice to adopt new decorative trends.
Some walls deliberately imitated earlier styles (like the First or Second Style) while others drew from newer decorative vocabularies, producing a distinct collage of styles rather than a single coherent program, reflecting a desire to showcase a breadth of artistic knowledge and perhaps the latest fads.
Impluvium and repairs:
The house shows clear evidence of sophisticated repairs that included a new floor and an elaborate fountain assembly, fed by water pressure from a roof line, complete with water aeration cycles to keep water fresh and visually appealing.
However, the repair work also reveals a preference for quick fixes: lead pipes were often drilled through existing walls rather than being fully inlaid in conduits, and pipes were sometimes left exposed or crudely extended, signifying a balance between aesthetic upgrades and practical, cost-effective solutions.
Interpretation of the House of the Vettii as a reflection of social economy:
The combination of luxurious interior decoration with the cheapness and expediency of some repairs suggests that the owners prioritized outward status display and updating interiors over expensive structural overhauls. This reflects a common economic reality in post-earthquake Pompeii given the impending eruption in AD 79.
The blend of stylistic periods (First, Second, Third, and Fourth Styles) signals a taste for cosmopolitan prestige, demonstrating a broad appreciation for art historical trends, while also potentially keeping costs down by integrating existing features or cheaper imitations.
The presence of mythic and sometimes troubling or violent scenes (e.g., violence against women) alongside more common scenes mirrors broader late antique entertainments and moralizing tropes. These could reflect inward critiques, social anxieties of the elite, or simply a taste for dramatic narrative popular in the Roman world.
Transition to Herculaneum and broader patterns after the AD 62 earthquake:
Herculaneum, situated closer to Vesuvius, received a much thicker ash layer and pyroclastic flows compared to Pompeii, which limited rebuilding options and preserved different stratigraphies of restoration and daily life.
After the AD 62 earthquake, many interiors in Herculaneum were reorganized, often adopting a