Foreign topography; or, an encyclopedick account, alphabetically arranged, of the ancient remains in Africa, Asia, and Europe; forming a sequel to the Encyclopedia of antiquities / By the Rev. Thomas Dudley Fosbroke.
- Thomas Dudley Fosbroke
- Date:
- 1828
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Foreign topography; or, an encyclopedick account, alphabetically arranged, of the ancient remains in Africa, Asia, and Europe; forming a sequel to the Encyclopedia of antiquities / By the Rev. Thomas Dudley Fosbroke. Source: Wellcome Collection.
323/470 page 219
![upon the edge of a slope towards the sea, and consisted partly of two stories, the upper on the level of the street. It was spacious, and near the entrance was a bath, with all the necessary appendages. In the rear, the best rooms opened upon a terrace, run- ning the whole width of the house, and overlooking a garden or Xystus, about thirty yards square. This was surrounded by a covered walk or portico continued under the terrace. At the further extremity was a small temple, the roof of which was sup- ported by six columns fronted next the villa, and a bath or basin occupied nearly the centre of the garden the Miscellaneous Plate^. The lower apartments under the arcade were paved with Mosaics, coved and beautifully painted, as was also the greater part of the villa. One of the rooms had a large glazed bow window; the glass was very thick and deeply tinged with green.' It was set in lead, like a modern case- ment, [Eustace says (iii. 49) that only two houses had glass windows, the others only shutters.] In the cellars were many amphorce ranged in order against the walls. The ske- letons of twenty-three of the family who had taken refuge here were found. Various ornaments, as bracelets, ear-rings, &c. were found, together with coins. In the Mis- cellaneous Plate, the arch to the left leads to this cellar. In the entrance of the house were two skeletons, one with a purse and the key of the house, and the other with some portable moveables and bronze vases *. To understand the Plate, it is fit to observe from Swinburne, that the villa consisted of four levels ; 1. The cellars ; 2. the parterre and portico ; and as the site was on a rapid declivity, 3- a court above, in which was the street door, and over it, 4. a floor for bed-chambers. From the town it is entered by a courtsurrounded by stuccoed columns, adjoining to which is a curious triangular room and bath The lower ar- cade, says Sir William Hamilton is a covered walk for summer, looking into a garden and yard, into which opened several vaulted rooms beautifully painted. The open ter- race above the portico led to the larger apartments of the upper story. The villa rus- tica was close adjoining. Here the rooms are simply ornamented, and several spades, pickaxes, and other implements of husbandry were found. It has a separate entry, and is perfectly excluded from the noble part of the villa. The Miscellaneous Plate furnishes a view of it. There are other houses noticed in the Archaeologia, Pompeiana, and Mazois, but though there is a general agreement in all the necessary compartments, there is no uniform pattern. The Plate, which is formed out of a mixed plan of the houses of Pansa and Sallust, and includes other remains in the Pompeiana and Archaeologia, will furnish a good idea of the interior of a Roman house and offices. The Exhibition room of the Royal Academy at Somerset House assimilates a Roman atrium with its compluvium. On the right-hand side of the Plate is first a shop and counter ; second, a bakehouse, with oven, ash-hole, mill, bowl for holding the water-jar and bin, sunk below the floor; third, a laundry, with a fire-hearth, washing-bowl, well, and stove-hole j fourth, a kitchen, with dresser and arched doorway of a privy. Shops. Mazois || says, that there were two sorts of shops at Pompeii. One occu- pied by tradesmen, or merchants, by profession ; the other, where individuals carried on trade by means of their domesticks. It is easy to distinguish them. The last, which belonged to the richest houses of the town have all a communication, with the * Pompeiana, 95. f Engraved, Swinb. ii. 103. X Engravetl, Pompeiana, pi. xxi. § Archaeologia, vol. iv. 172, &c. || Pompeii, 43.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22012035_0323.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
