Floor

A. Karivieri & R. Forsell

DESCRIPTION

Along the S wall of exedra r, there are remains of a cocciopesto floor, 10-30 cm wide area, that was built above the first, white wall plaster against the E wall (see photos). Second, red wall-plaster on the S wall, and the third, final phase of wall-plaster were made above the cocciopesto. The rest of the floor is lavapesta, made after the cocciopesto. The lavapesta floor is sloping considerably in the E part of the exedra, towards the centre of the E wall under the lararium. The bedding for the lavapesta floor consists of mortar, limestone and lots of spolia, especially in the centre of the E part.

In the centre of the room between the doorways to room s and t, there is a part of the original cocciopesto floor preserved. From this central area towards the lararium, the bedding of the pavement consists of several roof tile fragments and a couple of cocciopesto spolia with black and white tesserae, placed in two rows, one in E-W direction and another in N-S direction (starts 60 cm N of S wall and 60 cm W of E wall), and the area in front of the lararium is covered with tile fragments (see photos). One of the tile fragments has a stamp, 1.60 m from N wall to S, 1.80 m from E wall to W (see photo).

The floor against the N wall consists of lavapesta with limestone without tile and cocciopesto spolia in the bedding.

In the W part of the floor, in the protiro, there is a round foundation of mortar, diameter 25 cm, inside a layer of limestone, located 75 cm from W marble flaming and 1.35 m from N marble framing, probably marking the spot where  previously a marber base was attached (visible in old photos). A marble table has been attached with mortar to the pavement between the doorways, in the centre of the room.

The cocciopesto floor was damaged probably during the earthquake AD 62 and it was repaired with lavapesta and spolia. There could have been a water channel in E-W direction going through the centre of the room, where the floor is sloping and covered with tile fragments. The marble table in the centre of the exedra is probably not in its original position (cf. old photographs).

State of preservation
The foundation of the lavapesta floor contains several hollows, filled with lapilli, especially N of the SE column and in front of the N doorway. These hollows are ca 20-50 cm deep. The marble slabs in the protiro have been reinforced with modern mortar.