The House of the Dioscuri (Casa dei Dioscuri) is an ancient Roman domus in the historic city, now an important archaeological site, of Pompeii. It was buried during the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius, along with the rest of the city.
The House of the Dioscuri is one of the largest and best decorated houses in the city of ancient Pompeii and owes its name to a couple of paintings located in the entrance vestibule, depicting the Dioscuri; Castor (inspect) and Pollux (inspect). The original frescos of the Dioscuri are now preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. It was majorly explored between 1828 and 1829 CE.
The current plan of the House of the Dioscuri is the result of architectural reconfiguration during the Augustan period (circa 27 BCE- 14 CE). The layout of the current residential complex was a result of joining three houses.
circa 150 BCE
The house is centred on the atrium, which also served as an entrance. Constructed in the Corinthian type, the atrium of the Dioscuri House is one of only four found in ancient Pompeii. Surrounding the impluvium, twelve tuff columns support the roof.
The house also features a tablinum, situted to the east of the Corinthian reception hall, with two rooms situated onto its either sides. In the room on the right the frescoes depicting the birth of Adonis and Scylla who gives Minos the enchanted hair of her father Nisus were found. While in the room on the left there are the frescoes of Apollo and Daphne and Silenus and Nymph with the infant Bacchus.
Behind the tablinum there is a portico with Doric columns , on the back wall of which is placed the lararium.
In the center of the residential complex lies the large peristyle with a water basin in the centre. The frescos or decorative panels in the large peristyle are painted in the fourth style, depicting architecture and still lifes. These decorations were most likely created by the same artist who also worked on the house of the Vettii.
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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