North Wall

Thomas Staub

N wall: width 8.50 m, max. preserved height 4.50 m (in the eastern zone, modern reconstructions above 3.70 m height). Generally, this wall is made of the same kind of mixed opus incertum as the south and west walls. It is partly (mainly in its central part) covered by plaster, in parts with a yellowish one with inserted shards of ceramics, in parts also with the following layer of under plaster with clear traces from trowels. In the western part, a section of the wall (between floor level and 2.40 m height, reaching to 1.70 m from the corner), a modern repair is visible, using larger (max. 0.30 x 0.20 m) pieces and blocks of mainly Sarno stone, set into a greyish mortar, which even contains lapilli. In the central part, the uppermost zone (above 3.60 m height) of the wall consists of an opus incertum of nearly only cruma. At 2.00 m height, to the west of the north-east corner, a vertical row of standing and stretching Sarno stone blocks is visible, but they are to a large degree covered by modern concrete, why the dimensions of the singular blocks are not measurable. (One seems to have the dimensions of 0.60 x 0.30 m). On the eastern side of these blocks, remains of plaster are visible, stretching into the north wall. The material of these blocks appears to be the same one as in the rest of the wall. In the north-east corner, the north wall abuts against the east wall.