West Wall

Renée Forsell

The upper part of the wall is missing and the uppermost rows of stones are reconstructed. The lowest N part of the wall is not visible due to a cistern and a bench built in front of it. The wall is mainly built on op. incertum consisting of limestone, lava stone, cruma, and terracotta spolia. The southern 0.60m that forms the E anta of the tablinum is built in op. testaceum. The anta is built on to the op. incertum wall without binders. The tiles vary in thickness and colour. The topmost layers of yellow tiles are modern. The mortar is mostly yellowish and tempered with large pieces of lime and lava. However, in the lowest part the mortar is grey and tempered with lava.
There are signs of a former opening in the wall 1.37m from the N corner where cut blocks of limestone are placed at a vertical line. There are also remains of plaster on the blocks continuing into the wall at a height of 0.55-0.85m. This construction is visible from bench level up to the height of 1.10m. Further S on the wall there could be another vertical line signifying the S edge of the opening. This line is not so obvious. However, it is more clearly distinguishable from the tablinum side of the wall. The opening would then be 1.05m wide while the height is not determinable.

Remains of wall plaster are preserved in several areas of the wall as well as remains of plaster coating. One patch of plaster is located in the N corner c 0.40m above the bench. A second patch is located in the upper middle part of the wall, partly covering the window- frame crack. A third patch is located above the cistern in the lower part of the wall. There are also remains of wall plaster on the op. testaceum part of the wall, close to the floor. The S edge of the plaster stops some 0.15m from the S corner of the wall. This indicates the previous existence of a doorframe. The wall plaster is surrounded by modern support plaster.