North Wall
A. Karivieri & R. Forsell
Located between rooms r and s.
DESCRIPTION
The wall was built of mostly limestone, some lava, cruma, grey tufa; bricks only by the door opening and a couple of spolia (cocciopesto). In the E part there is a refilled hole caused possibly by treasure hunters. In the E edge of the door opening by the floor, two column drums in limestone, above them tufa blocks and bricks (see photo).
Above the door, remains of wall-plaster were preserved, where decoration with architectural setting with red and yellow lines could be seen in 2003.
At the floor level, by the cocciopesto floor, can be seen how the black dado painting continues under the floor level, where two layers of Unterputz are visible. The upper level of dado is 40 cm below the dado in the E wall. Wall-plaster ends 18-20 cm E of door opening.
The wall collapsed in antiquity after the earthquake of AD 62. The whole partition wall and the entrance between s and exedra r have sunken into the underlying cellar to a level of 0.3-0.4 m below the former position.
During the restoration work, the door opening was repaired and a new cocciopesto floor laid, but the original wall painting was not repainted. There was some kind of frame around the door. There is no preserved threshold in the door opening, only cocciopesto.
Wall-plaster
Upper zone
In 2003, decoration with architectural setting with red and yellow lines could be seen above the door (see photo).
Main zone
Main zone: E of door, two yellow panels divided by red zone. In the yellow panels, there are horizontal decorative white borders (5 cm high), 15 cm above the dado; the red central panel is framed by 1 cm broad dark red lines.
Dado
Dado: black background, red horizontal border towards the main zone, red and white or green stripes with white edges, red garlands and yellow scrolls in the corners, yellow horizontal hatchets between red stripes and yellow flowers inside the red-edged panel.
State of preservation
The E part of the wall was restored earlier. The wooden lintel was replaced after 2003 and, at the same time, the remains of wall-plaster in the upper zone disappeared. Today, the upper part of the wall has been reconstructed to a higher level to support the modern roof above room s.
Width: 3.32 m. Height: top: 3.63 m, min.: 3.37 m. Thickness 27 cm (without plaster).
Door opening in the W part: Height 1.65 m, width 75 cm up, 85 cm by the floor.
Wall plaster: Lower part preserved up till 1.33 m, dado height in W 24 cm, E 40 cm. Preserved part of upper zone of wall-plaster at the height of 2.20 m – ca 3.00 m (above the door).
