Location of the House (Ins IV, 1-2) .. View of Cardo IV looking north, with the entrance to the House of the Mosaic Atrium on the right with the House of the Alcove beyond. Plan of the House .. ...................Plan of the House Key: A. Entrance on Cardo IV B. Atrium C. Opus Aegyptius D. Peristyle and Garden E. Exedra F. Loggia G. Diaerae Description The House of the Mosaic Atrium, as the name implies, has a lavishly decorated atrium (B, pictured right) with a beautiful black and white, geometric mosaic floor, which is considerably buckled due to the onslaught of mud and ashes released by the eruption. At the rear of the atrium, In place of the usual tablinum, is a room generally known as the only example of an Opus Aegyptius (C) or Egyptian dining hall. ,, On the right of the atrium a door opens onto a large peristyle (D) with a central garden, in the middle of which was a fountain in a marble lined pool. The atrium, rather than being the central hub of the building, is singularly isolated from the rest of the house, the remainder of the rooms radiating off the peristyle. .. ,, The peristyle, which is broad on three sides, narrowing to a tight corridor at its south-eastern corner, has rooms along its eastern and southern sides. On the eastern side an exedra (E), which extended out into the garden with a small terrace, was decorated in the fourth style with mythological panels depicting the Punishment of Dirce, and Diana and Acteon, together with architectural motifs on a vibrant blue background (pictured below). Flanking the exedra are four cubicula decorated with elegant frescos on a red ground. ,, .. ,, .. However the real viewing area was to the south and included rooms as well as two diaerae (G) at either side of a small loggia (F) (pictured below left). .. .. The projecting position of the diaerae as corner or wing rooms and their location, isolated from the preceeding triclinium, must have created a serene refuge against the scenic backdrop of the Bay of Naples. The loggia is decorated with elegant frescos in the fourth style and a marble pavement in opus sectile. Several wooden objects, including a cradle and a small table, were found in the building during excavations and these are displayed in situ.

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