The Casa del Torello di Bronzo (V 1,7) in Pompeii. Investigating a residential house and its complex water system

Thomas Staub

Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis (monograph)

Abstract

The goal of the thesis is to present the thorough documentation and analysis of a private dwelling in Pompeii, the Casa del Torello di Bronzo (V 1,7), the largest and most dominating dwelling in insula V, and in particular its complex system of water use and distribution. The work is embedded in the on-going study of the entire insula, carried out by the Swedish Pompeii Project, so that it will ultimately be set in the frame of this study. The present work is composed of two major parts, the first, main one containing shorter descriptions and the more analytical texts, the second, the Gazetteer, a catalogue containing detailed descriptions of walls, decorations, features and the plumbing system. The analysis is where it seemed appropriate and possible complemented by comparisons with other houses or examples. The study is thus primary research aimed at enlarging our knowledge on the private Pompeian dwellings. By studying a complete Pompeian house, many different topics and subjects must be covered, ranging from questions concerning the furnishing of the sidewalk in front of the house to those concerning iconographic issues of wall paintings, from the epigraphy of the graffiti to the building history of the house.
The thorough examination and comparative study of the architecture and its development are based mainly on the building material used and how the different materials relate to each other, thus constructing a chronology. A further chronological framework is furnished through the wall decorations and pavement and their relation to the built structure. Thus the decorations are not only an important topic for themselves, but are vital for determining changes in the house and chronological settings.
The archaeological visit of the house led to the discovery of the most well-preserved feature of the house, its complex water system. The system for the distribution of water by means of distribution boxes and lead pipes is probably the most wellpreserved and most complex system known to us from the Roman world. Also the decorative system of fountains, embellishing different parts of the house, will be studied, regarding both how they are related to each other and the different areas and methods of decorating vistas and spaces as well as their chronological settings.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationDoctor
Awarding Institution
  • Stockholm University
Supervisors/Advisors
  • Leander Touati, Anne-Marie, Supervisor
Award date2013 May 20
ISBN (Print)978-91-7447-679-8
Publication statusPublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Defence details

Date: 2013-05-20
Time: 10:00
Place: Nordenskiöldsalen, Geovetenskapens hus, Stockholms Universitet

External reviewer(s)

Name: Moormann, Eric
Title: Prof.
Affiliation: Radboud Universitet, Nijmegen, NL

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Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Classical Archaeology and Ancient History

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