Pompei, prima della casa di Obellio Firmo: le strutture di età arcaica e sannitica

Within the research agreement between the Pompeii Archaeological Park and the University of Bologna, since 2016 a new research project on the House of Obellio Firmo (IX, 14, 4) has been carrying out, aimed at the comprehension of building complex’s evolution before the crucial date of the 79 AD. With the same objectives of the Plan for Knowledge of the Great Pompeii Project, geophysical and topographical surveys allowed the verification of some research hypotheses, partially derived from previous studies and from new analysis of the architectures and archival documents, as the original division into two housing units, represented by the two existing atriums in the house. In particular, the geophysical mapping in the whole accessible spaces fostered the understanding of the buried evidences regardless of the planimetric segmentation of the house. The presence of significant anomalies referable to buried structures detected in the garden of the peristilium stimulated the opening of trial digs. The archaeological investigations conducted between 2017 and 2018 confirmed the existence of hidden structures distinguished from the domus of Obellio Firmo, and referable to three main phases: 1) the high-imperial structures cut off in order to enlarge the garden, 2) the remains of two buildings of Samnite age and 3) some fragments of structures of archaic period. The structures of the Samnite age seem to confirm the strong phenomenon of urbanization and building occurred between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. The archaic evidence, which represents the most eastern finding in urban area, suggests a planning of the space according to a regular design, in line with the new data emerging from the recent research, that recognize a defined organization of the urban space since the VI sec. BC