Water conduits (constructed)

Mats Holmlund

A water conduit passes under the floor of room 2. It originates at the impluvium of the atrium of house V 1,3, passes under the floor of room 6, enters the room through the east wall, circa 0.60 m from the northeast corner, and runs relatively straight under floor of room 2 of the taberna. It extends into room 1 and ends at the cistern. Circa 0.10 m from the cistern, the conduit turns north, away from the cistern, then turns westwards again, and enters a cleansing hole at the north side of the cistern.
The conduit is, all in all, circa 10.50 m long and the visible parts are between 0.12 and 0.20 m wide, and between 0.15 and 0.16 m deep.

The construction date of the conduit is uncertain, but the method might be deduced: The wall and the earlier lavapesta floor was cut through and remodeled to include the conduit. It was coated with hydraulic plaster, covered with terracotta tiles and then overlaid by the extant cocciopesto floor.

The tracing of the conduit is made possible by the fact that there are a couple of holes in the floor where it passes through the room. The holes most likely came into being during the eruption, when the roof and upper floor of the taberna collapsed and broke the floor.