West Wall

Thomas Staub

West wall: width: 5.10 m, max. preserved height: 4.50 m, the floor level rises for about 0.40 m towards the north. The wall shows some remains of plaster, partly up to a height of 1.00 m, and in the south corner between 1.40 and 1.90 m height. By the south corner, some of the Sarno stone blocks, constituting the doorframe between atrium4 and tablinum13, are bound into this wall as stretchers. The first one is situated at ca. 0.45 m height, stretches into this wall for 0.85 m, with a height of 0.70 m. Above this block follows a 0.80 m high zone of lava-incertum with an inserted Sarno stone block (0.60 x 0.20 m). Over this, the next stretcher reaches into the wall for 0.95 m with a height of 0.75 m. Above this, there is, once more, a zone with opus incertum with an inserted Sarno stone block, but this time it consists of Sarno stone rubble, set into the reddish mortar. Above this, the next stretcher (0.95 x 0.50 m) followed by a further zone with Sarno stone-incertum, and then the last stretcher, 0.55 x 0.40 m. To the north of this section of the west wall, only the lower part of the wall (max. height: 1.20 - 1.40 m) in lava-incertum is antique, the upper parts are modern reconstructions, probably from the Bourbon time.