Roman Times: The effect of Roman colonization on mercantilism in Pompeii

I have mentioned the "Rhodian" peristyle in previous posts. For those of you who may have wondered what makes a peristyle classified as a Rhodian peristyle, it is the fact that one side of the peristyle is higher than the other sides, in the case of the House of the Silver Wedding, the higher side is on the north. The House of the Faun contains a Rhodian peristyle as well. I asked Bard to compare the two peristyles. Of course Bard pointed out the size difference between the two structures (although both structures are considered "monumental", the House of the Silver Wedding is around half the size (1650 sq. meters) of the House of the Faun (3,000 sq. meters) and this difference is translated to the Rhodian peristyles in each), it also pointed out that the columns of the peristyle of the House of the Silver Wedding are Doric, while the ones in the House of the Faun are Ionic. Although the House of the Faun does have a peristyle enclosed by Ionic columns, it also has a second peristyle enclosed by Doric columns as well. Another similarity to the decor of the House of the Faun is the use of Corinthian columns in the tetrastyle atriums of both houses. They also had shops flanking the entrances around 80 BCE that were removed in subsequent renovations.

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1895 Watercolor by Luigi Bazzani Room 1, atrium

This aspect of both homes made me curious whether the revenue from shops was needed after the "colonization" by Rome but were later removed as the residents became wealthier and more wished to eliminate evidence of overt relationships with business activities frowned on by the Roman aristocracy. So, I asked Bard about this:

Mary: Both the House of the Silver Wedding and the House of the Faun originally had shops flanking their entrances that were subsequently removed in the 1st century CE. Was this feature a result of attempts to recover from economic losses due to the Roman "colonization" after 80 BCE?

Bard: "Some historians have argued that the removal of the shops was a way for the homeowners to increase the privacy of their homes. Others have suggested that it was a way to create a more formal and elegant entranceway. It is also possible that the homeowners simply wanted to create more space for their own use.

It is worth noting that the removal of the shops from these two houses is not unique. There are a number of other houses in Pompeii where the shops flanking the entrances were also removed in the 1st century CE. This suggests that there may have been a broader trend towards removing shops from private homes during this period. [I noticed this change was also made to the House of the Prince of Naples when I studied it a few years ago.]

"It is possible that the Roman "colonization" after 80 BCE led to economic hardship for some Pompeians. This could have made it difficult for homeowners to maintain their shops, or it could have made them less profitable. As a result, some homeowners may have decided to remove their shops and use the space for other purposes.

'However, it is also possible that the removal of the shops from these two houses was unrelated to the Roman "colonization." It is possible that the homeowners simply wanted to make changes to their homes for their own personal reasons.

"Ultimately, more research is needed to determine the exact reasons why the shops flanking the entrances of the House of the Silver Wedding and the House of the Faun were removed in the 1st century CE.

"Here are some additional factors that may have contributed to the removal of the shops:

"Changes in fashion: The popularity of shops flanking the entrances of private homes may have declined in the 1st century CE.

"New building regulations: The Roman government may have introduced new building regulations that prohibited shops from being located near the entrances of private homes.

"Economic changes: The Roman economy may have changed in such a way that made it less profitable for homeowners to operate shops.

Mary: So, the subsequent removal of the shops flanking the entrances of wealthier homes was not a result of the residents advancing in social status and adopting the Roman attitude that overt business dealings were frowned upon by Roman aristocracy?

Bard: "It is possible that the removal of the shops from the House of the Silver Wedding and the House of the Faun was a result of the residents advancing in social status and adopting the Roman attitude that overt business dealings were frowned upon by Roman aristocracy. However, there is no definitive evidence to support this claim.

"Some historians have argued that the removal of the shops was a way for the homeowners to distance themselves from their commercial activities and to project a more elite image. Others have suggested that it was a way to comply with new social norms that discouraged overt displays of wealth.

"It is worth noting that there is evidence that some wealthy Romans continued to operate businesses from their homes in the 1st century CE. For example, the House of the Vettii, a very wealthy domus in Pompeii, had a shop selling wine and oil located next to its entrance.

"It is possible that the homeowners of the House of the Silver Wedding and the House of the Faun decided to remove their shops for a combination of reasons, including social status, changing fashion, and new building regulations.

"Ultimately, more research is needed to determine the exact reasons why the shops flanking the entrances of these two houses were removed in the 1st century CE".

Images: Color lithographs of paintings done by various late-19th and early 20th century Italian artists soon after excavation as well as photographs taken in the late 19th century and those by Stanley Jashemski, husband of archaeologist Wilhemina Jashemski, back in the 1960s (considered PD in the US because they are "copies" of 2-dimensional artwork in the public domain because of age of the original creators).

Geremia Discanno has left us a number of quality paintings of now mostly-vanished wall decorations. Although the lithograph process normally produces over-saturated colors, we can at least get an idea of the kaleidoscope of pigments selected by the last residents of the property. I wrote Discanno's Wikipedia biography in collaboration with Italian biographer, Pasquale Roberto Vinella (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geremia_Discanno). I also wrote Luigi Bazzani's Wikipedia biography (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Bazzani). Both biographies feature image galleries of their works.

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1898 Room 23, peristyle watercolor by Luigi Bazzani showing portions of the cornice and frieze with two columns of the peristyle

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii circa 1924 painting by Pierre Gusman Room 23, looking towards west side and north-west corner

House of the Silver Wedding Room 23, peristyle, 1898 watercolour by Luigi Bazzani of black painted panels from walls of peristyle

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1892 Looking north from south peristyle towards the west and north side

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 23 looking north across the peristyle 1900 photograph

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 21, north wall in Corinthian oecus with remains of one of the four columns holding the vaulted ceiling 1895 watercolor by Luigi Bazzani

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 25 th September 1897 Room 21, watercolor copy of painting on a wall in Corinthian oecus

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1896 photograph showing excavation

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 20, detail of south wall of bedroom or small dining room by De Simone (Niccolini Book 4)

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 24 th September 1897 Room 19, painting of detail from west wall of exedra

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1898. Room 19, west wall of exedra watercolor by Luigi Bazzani

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 19, detail from west wall of exedra Photo by Stanley Jashemski (PD in US)

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 19, west wall of exedra Photo by Stanley Jashemski (PD in US)

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1896 Room 19, detail of painted wall in exedra (Niccolini Book 4)

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 18, 1896 detail of wall in cubiculum-dining room by De Simone (Niccolini Book 4)

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1895 Watercolor by Luigi Bazzani of an architectural fresco in the cubiculum, room 18

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii Room 17, 1896 detail of painted decoration of a wall with black background (Niccolini Book4)

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1898 Room 13, watercolor by Luigi Bazzani showing painted walls of latrines

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1898 Watercolor by Luigi Bazzani, showing west wall of PiP Room 9, described as “Ambiente 2”

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1893 Room 9, remains of wall painting on east wall

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1898 Watercolor by Luigi Bazzani, showing detail of painted decoration on plinth of walls in tablinum

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1898 Watercolor by Luigi Bazzani, decoration from Cubiculum “a”, on right and peristyle on the left

House of the Silver Wedding Pompeii 1898 Room 4, watercolor by Luigi Bazzani depicting painted portrait medallion roundel from north wall showing two figures