The House of the Tragic Poet, also known as the The Homeric House (La Casa Omerica) or The Iliadic House (La Casa Iliadica), is situated in Regio VI, Insula 8, the far-western part of Pompeii. The main entrance to the house was from the south, facing Via delle Terme which merged with Via della Fortuna and Via di Nola towards the north, one of Pompeii's largest streets that linked the forum and the Street of the Tombs. Across the Via della Terme from the House of the Tragic Poet are the Forum Baths of Pompeii.

Although the size of the house itself is not remarkable, its interior decorations are not only numerous but of the highest quality among other frescoes and mosaics from ancient Pompeii. Because of the mismatch between the size of the house and the quality of its decoration, much has been speculated about the lives of the homeowners. Little is known about the family members, who were likely killed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

circa 150 BCE- 79 CE

Entrance
Like many Roman homes from the period in ancient Pompeii, the House of the Tragic Poet is divided into two primary sections. The front, south-facing portion of the house served as a public, presentation-oriented space. Here, two large chambers with outward-opening walls served as shops (inspect) were probably run by the homeowners, or, less likely, as servants quarters. These shops (tabernae) lie on either side of a narrow vestibule (fauces). The floor of the entrance vestibule contains a mosaic of a chained dog (inspect) with an inscription directly below it, which reads; CAVE CANEM, literally meaning "beware of the dog". The rest of the vestibule floor was decorated in a tesserae or checker-like pattern, in black and white tiles. This pattern was framed by a border of two black stripes that surrounded the room.

circa 150 BCE- 79 CE

Atrium and Tablinum
At the end of the entrace fauces (vestibule) sits the atrium, the most decorated of the rooms within the House of the Tragic Poet. Here, a large rectangular impluvium, or sunken water basin sits beneath an open ceiling (compluvium), collecting water to be used by members of the household. Near the northern end of the impluvium sits a wellhead (inspect) to be used for drawing water from the basin. The atrium was the focal point of art in the House of the Tragic Poet. Other than the House of the Vettii, it contained more large-scale, mythological frescoes than any other home in ancient Pompeii. Each image was approximately four feet square, making figures slightly smaller than life-size. The images in the atrium frequently feature seated men and women in movement. The women are usually the focus of the images, undergoing important changes in their lives in famous Greek myths.

Still farther from the entrance, north of the atrium, sits the tablinum (inspect), a second open public area. The tablinum floor was decorated with an elaborate mosaic image. Here, actors gather backstage preparing for a performance, as one character dresses and another plays a flute. Other characters surround a box of masks to be used during the performance. On the wall was a panel (now removed) depicting a scene from the story of Admetus and Alcestis. A messenger reads an oracle to Admetus, seated beside Alcestis, telling him that he will die if someone else does not willingly die in his place.

From these main areas extend smaller, private rooms, marking the second section of the house. Along the western wall of the atrium lie a series of cubicula, or bedrooms. Opposite these lie an additional cubiculum, an ala (a service area for a dining room), and an oecus (a small dining area).

circa 150 BCE- 79 CE

Peristyle
The northern end of the tablinum opens onto a relatively smaller, open peristyle, or garden courtyard. Near the left side of the peristyle, a small back door opens onto an additional street. Finally, into north-western corner of the peristyle is built a small lararium, or shrine to be used in worshipping the Lares Familiares, or family gods. This shrine contained a marble statuette depicting a satyr carrying fruit.

The semi-outdoor peristyle area featured an imaginary garden scene or paradeisos in the trompe-l'œil (French for deceiving the eye) style. This image, it is assumed, was intended to blend in with the actual garden that would have grown within the unroofed portion of the peristyle. To the left of the peristyle was a fresco known as the Sacrifice of Iphigenia, in which a nude Iphigenia is taken by Ulysses and Achilles to be sacrificed just before Artemis delivers a deer to be sacrificed in her place.

circa 150 BCE- 79 CE

Triclinium
The triclinium or the dining room contains three large panels and several smaller ones. The smaller panels feature depictions of soldiers and depictions of the four seasons as young women. The scene (inspect) on the north or back wall of the dining room depicts Theseus leaving Ariadne behind as he boards a ship. The other two larger panels depict cupids and a young couple, a scene featuring Artemis. To the right of the peristyle sits the drawing room, which, in the House of the Tragic Poet, is believed to have been used as the main dining salon or triclinium. Adjacent to the drawing room is a small kitchen area (inspect).

circa 150 BCE- 79 CE

Upper Story
Although records and archaeological experts have confidently confirmed the existence of an upper story in the House of the Tragic Poet, little is known about its specific layout, as it was most likely destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.