North Wall

Thomas Staub

N wall: width: (to the inner corner of the rim of the cupboard) 2.15 m, max. preserved height: 4.50 m. The lower part of the wall, up until a height of 1.35 m, covered with bipedales (visible at the eastern edge over the threshold of the cupboard). The remaining wall is covered with plaster with remains of the decorations up to a height of 2.60 - 3.10 m. To the east, above the inner edge of the cupboard foundation, a straight vertical edge is visible in the plaster, whereupon a 0.15 m wide slit follows, then one more vertical edge, protruding at the western side, thus indicating that the plaster abutted against some, probably wooden, structure. The plaster then continues towards the niche of the faked door, where the rim from the former wooden doorpost is visible. In 3.60 m height, a horizontal row of small (diam. ca. 0.005 m) holes is recognisable, probably remains of the attachment of a stucco-frieze. The wall itself is, where visible, constructed of lava-incertum up to a height of 2.80 m, above this of cruma-incertum, once more set into the reddish mortar. The uppermost 0.10 - 0.15 m consists of a modern reconstruction. At the western part of the wall, a stripe with small pieces of Sarno stone is set into the wall in 3.30 - 3.50 m height. This stripe forms a continuation of the stripe on the west wall. In 3.30 m height, a rectangular hole (0.10 x 0.12 m) is cut into one of the blocks of the frame of the door niche, next to it, remains of the base plaster are visible with traces of pickings.