File:Pompeii; its history, buildings and antiquities - an account of the destruction of the city, with a full description of the remains, and of the recent excavations and also an itinerary for visitors (14769918481).jpg

Identifier: pompeiiitshist00dyer (find matches)
Title: Pompeii; its history, buildings and antiquities : an account of the destruction of the city, with a full description of the remains, and of the recent excavations and also an itinerary for visitors
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Dyer, Thomas Henry, 1804-1888
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Bell
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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s, which, by being depicted at the entrance of a house,repelled all evil influences and rendered it a joyful abode.* The pavement of the Tuscan atrium is variegated withsmall pieces of white marble placed in rows. The implu-vium in the middle appears to have been under repair, as itis stripped of its marble lining. The walls of the atrium arepainted red, with vertical black zones like pilasters, or antce,besides lines and ornaments of various colours. On thewall to the left of the entrance is painted a recumbentSilenus, crowned with ivy, and pressing in his arms thelittle Bacchus, who in alarm is endeavouring to escape fromhis embraces. Near it, on a yellow ground, is the beardedhead of a man, with two claws projecting from his templeslike horns, and a beard floating as if it was in the water. Itmay probably be a mask of Oceanus, who is represented oncoins of Agrigentum in a somewhat similar manner. Underthe head is the figure of a hippocampus. * Fiorelli, Giornale degii Scavi, p. 15.
Text Appearing After Image:
§^«^^ I5J ^iJFPOfl^ fr^btlj HOUSE OF HOLCONIUS. 447 Many objects were found in this atrium, some at the heightof four or five yards from the floor, which must consequentlyhave fallen in from the upper stories; and others on thepavement itself. But one of the most important discoverieswas the skeleton of a woman, near the entrance of thetablinum. She aj)pears to have been in the act of flight, andhad with her a small box containing her valuables and nick-nacks. Among the most curious of these was a necklace com-posed of amulets, or charms, which, it will be observed, areall attributes of I sis and her attendant, Anubis, or of herhusband Osiris, here considered as Bacchus. The mysticarticles kept in the Isiac coffer were, says Eusebius, a ball,dice, (tiirho) wheel, mirror, lock of wool.* The annexed cutwill convey a better idea of this necklace than any descriptionof it. The first bedchamber on the right of the atrium com-municated with the shop No. 3, and was probably occupied bythe

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