Floor

Thomas Staub

The floor in atrium4 is made of a lavapesta bedding, covered with a lime-cement floor into which mainly pieces of lava, but also pieces of coloured limestones and some pieces of coloured marble, are inserted. White tesserae, set in geometric patterns, mark the borders towards the two alae and the tablinum, see description of floors of ala9, ala14 and tablinum13. Leading from the opening towards andron10, towards the impluvium, a ca. 0.06 m wide channel was hewn into the floor for the laying of the lead pipe serving the fountains at the impluvium. The probable cover of this channel has disappeared. It seems, as if some remains of an earlier floor made in cocciopesto can be observed in this channel. Remains of this earlier floor are visible at the bottom of east wall between the south east corner and the entrance towards cubiculum7. The lavapesta floor reaches under the plaster and abuts against the hewn off bipedales and the thresholds.