III.5.1 Pompeii. Shop with dwelling of Pascius Hermes.

Grocery with rented workshop upstairs?

Excavated 1917, 1919 and 1927. Bombed in 1943.

 

III.5.1 Pompeii. September 2005. Entrance and upper floor.

The original façade of this shop was shaken by the bomb that fell across the Via dell’Abbondanza at the north-east corner of II.1.

 

According to Della Corte this used to have an ample balcony.

On the red plasterwork of a pilaster on the balcony was a long graffito, CIL IV 8873.

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de), it read -

 

{H}Omnes  nego  deos  vinca(t)  vinca(t)  pantorgana  Tal()

cit(h)ar(o)edus  cantat  Apol(l)o  tibicina  nempe  ego

Came(l)o(p)ardus  (h)abet  cor  ut  Achille(s)  ob  clar{r}ita(tem)

Sum  rabid(a) ia(m)  Volcanus  e(m)  medicina  est       [CIL IV 8873]

Three electoral recommendations were also found here, one to the left and two to the right of the entrance naming Pascius Hermes.

A(ulum)  Vettium aed(ilem) / Pascius  faci[t]   [CIL IV 7718]

Firmum  aed(ilem) / Pascius  facit   [CIL IV 7721]

(rogat)  (Pascius)  Hermes   [CIL IV 7722].

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p. 368)

 

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de), these read -

 

A(ulum)  Vettium  aed(ilem)

Pascius  faci[t]      [CIL IV 7718]

Firmum  aed(ilem)

Pascius  facit      [CIL IV 7721]

 

A(ulum)  Settium  Verum

aed(ilem)  d(ignum)  r(ei)  p(ublicae)  o(ro)  v(os)  f(aciatis)  Hermes.    [CIL IV 7722]

 

According to Varone and Stefani, also on the west pilaster (left) were CIL IV 7717, 7718 and 7719.

On the east of the entrance (on the right) were CIL IV 7720, 7721, 7722 and 7723.

See Varone, A. and Stefani, G., 2009. Titulorum Pictorum Pompeianorum, Rome: L’erma di Bretschneider, (p.277)

 

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de), they read as –

 

L(ucium)  C(eium)  S(ecundum)  IIv(irum)  i(ure)  d(icundo)      [CIL IV 7717]

Capell[am      [CIL IV 7719]

C(aium)  C(alventium)  S(ittium)  M(agnum)  IIv(irum)      [CIL IV 7720]

 

L(ucium)  Albucium  a[ed(ilem)      [CIL IV 7723]

 

III.5.1 Pompeii. October 1943. Picture that according to the newspaper report “shows what the RAF found after bombing.....”.

The bomb fell across the Via dell’Abbondanza at the north-east side of II.1.

Photo courtesy of Drew Baker.

 

III.5.1 Pompeii. December 2004. Entrance.

 

III.5.1 Pompeii. September 2005. Steps to upper floor with two steps remaining.

To the right is the door to the rear room which has a window to the north, which is not excavated..

According to Liselotte Eschebach, this may have been a grocery shop.

The upstairs may have been rented out as a workshop. Tools and furniture fittings were found there.

See Eschebach, L., 1993. Gebäudeverzeichnis und Stadtplan der antiken Stadt Pompeji. Köln: Böhlau. (p. 107).

 

III.4       Unnamed vicolo looking north. September 2005.     III.5.1

In the vicolo between insula 4 and 5 are inscriptions in which the owners of the buildings invoked the wrath of Jupiter on those who defecated there.

“Cacator cave malum” is written twice [CIL IV 7714 and 7715] and also a third “Cacator, cave malum, aut, si contempseris, habeas Jovem iratum” [CIL IV 7716].

See Della Corte, M., 1965.  Case ed Abitanti di Pompei. Napoli: Fausto Fiorentino. (p. 367).

 

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) CIL IV 7716 read as:

 

Cacator cave malum

aut si contempseris habeas

Iove iratum                                   [CIL IV 7716]

 

This translates as –

To the one defecating here beware of the curse. If you scorn this curse you will have the angry Jupiter (CIL IV. 7716)

See Hobson, B., 2009. Latrinae et foricae: Toilets in the Roman World. London; Duckworth. (p.143)