Room a (fauces)

A. Karivieri & R. Forsell

Fauces
From Via del Vesuvio the monumental main entrance in opus quadratum leads into the fauces. It was 4 m long and 2.22 m wide. The four corners were made of Sarno limestone blocks while the walls in between were made in opus incertum. The monumental entrance was accentuated with a broad threshold made of white Apennine limestone, which still preserves the rectangular cuttings for the doors on either side.

There are remains of wall plaster on the walls. The northern wall shows that the lower main zone was white and divided into panels by yellow bands. Above the plaster is dark and worn. In the cork model the wall is shown as being black

The floor is divided into two parts by a step made of Apennine limestone. The lower western part had a cocciopesto floor. The higher eastern part has a black-and-white mosaic pavement in opus tessellatum, where a black reclining dog is depicted against the white background.