South Wall

Thomas Staub

South wall: width: 3.35 m, max. preserved height: 4.40 m. The wall is covered with plaster up to a height of 2.10 - 3.00 m (south west corner), with parts broken down. At the south east corner, a breach in the wall (0.50 x 1.50 m), probably created by looters, has been repaired after the excavation. A red plaster containing ceramic and tile split covers the lower parts of the wall (up to 1.55 m), spread over the greyish plaster, which covers the upper parts of the wall. This red plaster is approx. 0.005 m thicker than the other. At the seam between these two types of plaster, a row of small holes (diam. 0.005 - 0.01 m) is visible. Where the plaster has fallen down, the masonry of the wall is visible, partly covered by modern concrete. In the lower part (up to 2.30 m), the wall consists of lava-incertum, set into the reddish mortar, only at one place above the floor in the middle wall some spoils of plaster and stuccoes have been used as well. Between ca. 2.30 and 2.70 m height, either plaster or concrete covers the wall, above it the wall consists of mixed opus incertum with Sarno stone pieces, Cruma and spoils of the reddish mortar, slightly larger than in the normal opus incertum in this house, set into a grey-yellow mortar. In the south west corner, above 2.60 m height, the stone blocks from the doorpost between andron10 and atrium4 bound into this wall. The uppermost part, above a horizontal line in 3.40 m height, is a modern reconstruction.