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Regio IV - Insula IV - Insula con Viridario (IV,IV,9)
(House with a Garden)

The House with a Garden is in fact part of what seems to have been a peristylium behind the House of the Mosaic Niche and the House of Jupiter the Thunderer (opus reticulatum; Augustan?).

The building received its name from a fairly long courtyard that may have contained a garden. It is flanked by a porticus with brick pilasters and semi-columns. To the north-east is a number of rooms built in opus reticulatum.

A pseudo-aedicula was set against the Augustan south-east wall of the courtyard (opus reticulatum). It may have been built in the first half of the second century AD. It was built with extraordinary care (thin bricks are separated by narrow joints) and is partly polychrome.

A semicircular fountain-niche was set against the south-west wall. It is decorated with marble on the inside and painted red on the outside. In front is a long basin, with a niche in the front. The niche and the bottom of the basin are revetted with marble. The fountain and basin were added in the fourth or fifth century.

In the back part of the building a black-and-white mosaic was found from the first half of the third century. Depicted are marine animals and Aktaion mangled by dogs after spying on Diana.



Plan of the building. After SO I.

Photos



The courtyard seen from the north. In the background is the overgrown fountain-niche, to the left the pseudo-aedicula.
Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.



The pseudo-aedicula. Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.


The mosaic of Aktaion.
Scavi di Ostia IV, Tav. XCVII.


[jthb - 6-May-2022]