Villas outside the Walls |

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Villa of Diomedes

Leaving by the Herculaneum Gate (A) there was a series of shops on either side of the road (coloured blue on the map) interspersed with monumental tombs.

Behind the shopping area were two villas, the Villa of Cicero and the Villa of the Figured Capitals. Beyond these lies the Villa of Diomedes.

This villa was excavated between 1771 and 1773. After the excavations and subsequent plundering, little remains of its once splendid decoration, but some examples can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum on Naples.

The villa is built round an atrium with peristyle which are linked to the garden which is set at a lower level.

The garden, the largest in Pompeii, was surrounded by an impressive portico and had a monumental pool and open air triclinium.

Above the garden porticos, a broad sun terrace ran round the sunken garden. At the external corners of the terrace were two belvederes commanding spectacular views of the coast.

A quote from 'Last Days of Pompeii' (1834) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton paints a vivid picture of the villa:

'Imagine, first of all, the columns of the portico, decorated with festoons of flowers; the lower part of the columns painted red, and the walls decorated with various frescos. Behind the curtain, three-quarters open, was the tablinum. On the other side of the tablinum were some small rooms, one of which was the cabinet de merveilles. These rooms and the tablinum led into a long gallery, which opened at either end onto terraces. Between the terraces was a large room, adjoining the central part of the gallery, in which the banqueting table stood. All these rooms, although more or less on street level, overlooked the garden from the upper storey, while the terraces beyond the gallery continued as raised corridors above the columns which surrounded the garden to right and left.'

Villa of Cicero

The Villa of Cicero was initially excavated in 1759 under the direction of the Accademia Ercolanese, set up by Carlos III de Borbón specifically to produce scientific accounts of the monuments that were coming to light.

In the first years sites were explored haphazardly, and among these sites was large complex of the Villa of Cicero.

The villa, on the south side of the road leading from the Herculaneum Gate, was re-buried in 1763. During the excavations many fine frescoes and mosaics were discovered. These, like the scene of street musicians pictured on the left, can be viewed at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
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The mosaic of the street musicians illustrates a scene from a play by Menander. Followed by a dwarf, a woman accompanies on her flute the dance of two men, one of whom plays the cymbals while the other beats a frame drum.

Villa of the Mysteries

Beyond the Villa of Diomedes lies the Villa of the Mysteries, famous for having one of the most important decorative fresco collections in the Roman world.

The ground plan is basically square, laid out on a plot of sloping ground. The villa originally dates from the 2nd century BC, but its current layout was set between 70 and 60BC. After the earthquake of 62AD the villa was extensively remodelled, changing what had been a patrician villa into a working farmhouse, albeit a rather grandiose one.
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The original entrance was on the opposite side of the villa to the current entrance and led directly into the area around the peristyle. The area leading to the peristyle was later changed into servants quarters by the addition of extra accommodation between the villa and the street. .. .. Kitchen and bathing facilities lie on the south side of the peristyle, while on the north-east side were rooms devoted to the pressing and storage of wine.

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The subject involves the initiation of a bride to the Dionysiac mysteries, whose cult was widespread in the area despite imperial sanctions (Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus). The frieze depicting the rite is 17 metres long and 3 metres high, and is vividly painted, as the accompanying pictures testify. Apart from the fine frescos,frescoes, a major find, a statue of Livia, can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

The west side of the peristyle opens onto a Tuscan atrium decorated with scenes of the Nile. This atrium was the focus of the owners living area. .. All the decorations in the main part of the villa are in the second style with the exception of the tablinum, which has third style frescosfrescoes on a blackground. The tablinum leads from the atrium to an exedra with panoramic views. .. On the south side of the tablinum a doorway leads, through a small room, to the room containing the Dionysiac Mysteries. .. Originally an oecus, the room was later turned into a triclinium. The fresco adorning the walls dates from the first century BC and is one of the most famous of all ancient art. ..

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