Location of the House (Ins V, 35) .. View of the Lower Decumanus looking east, with the House of the Great Portal in the centre of the photograph. Plan of the House .. .....Plan of the House Key: A. Entrance B. Peristyle C. Oecus D. Cubiculum Description The house of the Great Portal was built on the site of the old peristyle of the neighbouring Samnite House. The name refers to its entrance, which consists of brick demi-columns, surmounted by Corinthian capitals carved with winged Victories. A footpath was later added along the length of the facade delineating the extent of the property, indicating at the same time that the property did not include the south east section of the insula. In building the house, the old peristyle court appears to have been reduced in size while new residential quarters and a kitchen wing were added to the north. Because of its history, the house has an unusual layout: with the absence of an atrium, the rooms radiate from an 'L' shaped vestibule that overlooks the new remodelled courtyard, which serves as a source of light for the vestibule and where terracotta ducts channeled rainwater into a collecting cistern. .. .. The rooms were, in the main, decorated with frescoes in the Fourth Style. In particular, the oecus (C) is decorated with a panel (left) illustrating a Dionysian theme on the end wall while the vestibule (below) has architectural motifs painted on a black background.. . .. The vestibule also contains in its centre a fine panel depicting butterflies and birds pecking at cherries (below). .. Like many other properties in Herculaneum, the House of the Great Portal has a shop opening onto the street. It was probably rented out as it is totally separate from the rest of the house. ..

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