Houses of the wealthy in Pompeii

House of the Faun

The House of the Faun

• The House of the Faun is considered the finest example of a private house in Pompeii.

• Built 2nd century BC – (300 yrs old at the time of the eruption)

• Area – 3000 sq. metres, covering a whole town block

The House of the Faun

• Owner – unknown. Possibly to Publius Cornelius Sulla, nephew of famous Sulla, dictator of Rome, who was given the job of organising the colony of Pompeii after the Social Wars.

• Architecture & Decoration – lavish. They give us an idea of the owners’ wealth and high status in society.

The House of the Faun

• Decorations – elaborate floor mosaics and magnificent wall paintings.

• Mosaics made from tiny, cut and coloured stones called tesserae.

• One mosaic depicts a Nile River landscape. (Egyptian influence?)

• Famous battle between Alexander the Great & Darius (Persian King).

The House of the Faun• Entrance – grand.

Pavement was written in traditional Latin greeting HAVE, which welcomed guests to the house.

• Shops at the front and two atria.

• Named after the little statue of the dancing faun found in the impluvium of the larger atrium.

• Two gardens, one average size and the other half the area of the house.

(Image – Front Entrance of the House of the Faun, Pompeii)

The House of the Faun

• Large peristyle had a spacious kitchen with high ceilings. Windows released cooking smoke and odours.

• Four rooms interpreted as summer and winter dining rooms.

• Bath complex and stables also found.