VIII.4.6 Pompeii. Steps to upper floor. Linked to VIII.4.5.

Excavated 1766, 1855 and 1861. (Strada d’Olconio 6).

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. December 2006. Entrance on Via dell’Abbondanza in centre of picture.

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. May 2006. Doorway to stairs to upper floor.

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. May 2006. Remaining black and red painted graffiti on either side of entrance.

VIII.4.6 Pompeii, on right. October 2017.

Pilaster between two doorway entrances, with graffiti, see also VIII.4.7.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR.

VIII.4.7/VIII.4.6 Pompeii. Red painted graffito from pilaster between doorways.

On display in Naples Archaeological Museum, inv. 4717. Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Ciaramella, June 2017.

Greek text in red letters, according to the Naples Museum information card this translates as:

“Qui abita il figlio di Zeus, Eracle glorioso vincitore; non entri il male”

“Here dwells the son of Zeus, Heracles the glorious victor; may evil keep out”.      [CIL IV 733]

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. September 2015. Graffiti found on pilaster on left of doorway, near VIII.4.7.

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. December 2006. Graffiti found on pilaster on left of doorway, near VIII.4.7.

According to Varone the inscription to the left of the crack is HOLCONIVM PRISCVM AED OVF.

On the right is the inscription N. P. R. AED.

Only a small trace of the point is visible between the R and the AED, which instead clearly distinguishes between the remaining letters. In the linked letters of the AED, however, there is no longer any trace of the central oblique stem of the E.

He expands this to N(umerium) P(opidium) R(ufum) a(e)d(ilem).

The candidate Numerius Popidius Rufus was a member of the most notable family that Pompeii had in the Oscan age.

See Varone A. Nuovi tituli picti pompeiani: Rivista di Studi Pompeiani I: 1987, p. 92, figs. 5-6.

Another graffito from this pilaster, painted in red Greek lettering, was removed to the Naples Archaeological Museum.

Inventory number 4717. (Ruesch 1206). This showed the shop’s owner to be under the protection of Hercules. [CIL IV 733]

See Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi, (p. 173)

Pappalardo shows the actual Fiorelli writings in Greek.

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.128)

Varone and Stefani include a photograph of the Greek graffito.

See Varone, A. and Stefani, G., 2009. Titulorum Pictorum Pompeianorum, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider, (p. 366)

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. Graffiti found on pilaster on left of doorway, near VIII.4.7 [CIL IV 733].

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 4717.

According to Hunink this translates as

Zeus'

son the splendidly

winning Hercules

lives

here

No evil

may en-

ter here       [CIL IV 733]

See Hunink, V., 2011. Glücklich ist dieser Ort! 1000 Graffiti aus Pompeji. Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam, p. 264, n. 779.

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. May 2006. Graffiti found on pilaster on left of doorway, near VIII.4.7.

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. September 2015. Graffiti found on pilaster on right of doorway, near VIII.4.5.

In June 1855, the following graffito painted in red and black was found:

Licinium Faustinum

aed(ilem) o(ro) v(os) f(aciatis)    [CIL IV 731]

See Pagano, M. and Prisciandaro, R., 2006. Studio sulle provenienze degli oggetti rinvenuti negli scavi borbonici del regno di Napoli. Naples: Nicola Longobardi.  (p.172)

Also Fiorelli recorded:

LICINIVM  FAVSTINVM

            AED . OVF

See Pappalardo, U., 2001. La Descrizione di Pompei per Giuseppe Fiorelli (1875). Napoli: Massa Editore. (p.128)

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. September 2015. Detail of graffiti found on pilaster on right of doorway, near VIII.4.5.

VIII.4.6 Pompeii. December 2006. Graffiti found on pilaster on right of doorway, near VIII.4.5.

According to Varone the upper line of this reads A VETTIVM CAPRASIVM.

The lower line reads P SITTIVM CONIVNCTVM IIVIR I D OVF.

See Varone A. Nuovi tituli picti pompeiani: Rivista di Studi Pompeiani I: 1987, pp. 92-100, figs. 7-9.

Detail of road surface and drain outside VIII.4.6 on Via dell’Abbondanza.