Buried like Pompeii , Herculaneum and Stabiae as the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, the site of Oplontis (or Oplonti) is indicated by the table Peutinger on the site of Torre Annunziata , current city of Naples Province , in the Region Campania in Italy.

It is likely a semi-urban suburb of Pompeii whose homes are new residences otium after the war social which erupted in 90 BC , and occupied by the Roman colonists.

Excavated a minimum under the Bourbons, it was not until the 1964's have been unearthed at the site a magnificent Roman villa ^(first century BC.) Alleged to have belonged to Poppaea , the second wife of Nero. The excavations have brought to light an area of 110 yards on 75 of a layer of soil about 6 meters, including 2 of lapilli and volcanic sand, putting the city down to the surrounding town of Torre Annunziata.

Another imposing building, the Villa of Crassus, was discovered and excavations have revealed the presence of jewelry carved by an admirable art of jewelry.

The results of more recent research has helped to link Oplontis Calpurnii Pisones , prestigious family whose members were allied with Pompey .

Oplontis site is included in the archaeological area of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata registered by Unesco on the World Heritage List in 1997.

Villa of Poppea

Its size, 3650 square meters excavated so far besides the pool and gardens, 130 yards on 110, make it the largest architectural complex of Campania after the villa of Papyrus in Herculaneum (260 meter of 70).

Hypothesis award

The villa looked out on the mountains and the sea Lattari

Access to the Villa of Poppea

Peristyle

... a breathtaking view of continuity

Oecus

Triclinium

Part 66

Exhibit 81

Viridarium

The peacock, the attribute of Juno, Jupiter's wife, over-represented on the walls of the villa of Poppea

His timing coincided, for its second architectural phase, with the period and character Neronian sumptuous making it difficult to see it occupied by a private individual, the assumption of the attribution of this villa to Poppea Sabina , was unanimously accepted, membership Empress of the People Poppea , a rich family Pompeian , coming again corroborate this conjecture. However, uncertainty remains about the date of such acquisition or Poppea by his family and we may also wonder about the occupation of the villa between 65 (the date of death of Poppea) and 79.

The villa then gave the Lattari Mountains , now hidden by the recent construction of the city, and the Tyrrhenian Sea, whose shoreline is now more distant, the summit of Vesuvius silhouetted against the back . She seems to have been a rather isolated position among extensive gardens, which may reflect the desire of its owners not to mingle with the people, thereby confirming its aristocratic character.

Statues, certainly for the decoration of gardens and swimming pool have been found in a deposit; drums of columns and other materials were stored along the walls of a room and no props needed for daily life n has been discovered. All this information suggests that the villa at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius, was at work and therefore uninhabited.

Architecture

During its first phase of construction (about 45 BC ), the villa was owned by the praetor Marcus Piso Pupius. . The pars urbana then consists of two sets of rooms distributed on both sides of a central axis formed by a rectangular atrium opened on a catchment area , an indoor garden and a triclinium , very large dimensions.

The main building located to the west is residential and consists of diaetae with cubicles arranged around another triclinium less important, and a set consisting of thermal praefurnium , caldarium and tepidarium and organized around a oecus and a portico tetrastyle .

The interior spaces of the area is part are devoted to functions with servile, upstairs, the district of slaves. Greek graffiti found on walls of the villa show a degree of culture corresponding to the level necessary to provide functions with masters of the aristocratic class. This wing is located in the lararium is organized around a peristyle . The rooms facing the outside, feature a caldarium and a latrine.

Farther east and separated from the main building was then a pars rustica which has been kept a torcularium indicates that the membership of the villa rustica at Praedium planted with vines or olive.

In the second architectural phase at the time Julio-Claudian , is added to this an impressive first implantation eastern residential area opening onto a natatio 60 17 meters, which is comparable to that of the Villa Papyrus in Herculaneum (66 meters by 7). Two new housing projects for the otium are organized around the pool. The first, located north is built between two frames and consists of a large central hall extended on each side of a symmetrical little more modest rooms. Between the central hall and the rooms are intercalated in viridari where one sees the ancient hortus enter the house to become living greenery. Openings breakthroughs vis--vis each of these rooms offer a breathtaking view of continuity along the entire length of the whole.

A second set closes the gate to the southwest corner of the pool. It houses an advanced piece Donatella Mazzoleni which states:

"... Whose windows opened on natatio and was decorated with rare wood paneling on the walls (unfortunately lost), and colored marbles sectile opus on the pavement. diaeta Comparison with a similar the villa of St. Marc, Stabiae, shows that it was a popular architectural feature to the porticos lining the pools. "

The hiatus that found in the Villa of Papyri at Herculaneum and the Villa San Marco in Stabiae , in the connection between the old and new architectural testament to the novelty of the interests of wealthy Romans for river , which confirms Pliny in one of his letters the actual use as natatoriae.

These spaces of the first and second phase are carefully coordinated with the vastness of the outdoor gardens adorned with statues and planted with plane trees or cultivated grassland and extended by a grove through the combined talents of an architect and a topiarius .

Scenery painting

Recall the definition of four styles of Pompeian painting

• ^1, style (the ^IV in the early ^first century BC.) Imitation with simple coatings of stucco slabs or large polychrome inlaid marble Hellenistic palaces. The easel paintings on wood are placed in frames with stucco. Protrusions divide the wall.
• ^2nd style (80 to 15 BC): the introduction of perspective , "dematerialization" of the walls, creating a theatrical illusion of large open volumes on other areas still further and even more sumptuous. The original paintings are reproduced directly on the walls, like real wood tables as if they were in trompe l'oeil , views through windows that never open on senes of daily life but depict mythological or historical episodes
• ^3rd Style (15 prior to 50 AD), sometimes called Julio-Claudian. More sham, the scenery becomes flat. The wall is divided horizontally and vertically divided into colored squares and rectangles. The idyllic landscapes fill the whole center panel. Some miniatures are painted in bright colors on black or white.
• 4 ^th style (50 to 79 AD): return perspective and the illusion of trompe-l'oeil. Accumulation and baroque layering of exotic animals or fantastic and architectural elements nested. Mythological character of initiation or moral intention. The colors are sharper and chromatic contrasts appear. Small figures and festoons adorn sham set of tapestries.

Decoration of the Villa

• West Main building:

Atrium Triclinium oecus, and cubitula ^diaetae: 2nd Style

Kitchen and ^Baths: 3rd ^and 4th styles

• East wing:

Service areas: yellow stripes and blue

^{Rooms: 2nd,} 3rd ^and 4th styles

North and south ^porticos: 4th style

This first part of the villa of republican era , has undergone a renovation of the pictorial decoration in the construction of the second phase of imperial architecture : it is not practical to determine for certain sets s 'They are the ^1st or ^the 2nd phase.

• Phase ² architecture:

middle or end ^of the 4th Style (portico frescoes comparable to those of the chamber 7 of the house Centenary at Pompeii )

Contrary to the frescos of Pompeii or Herculaneum, part of which was transported to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli or of the villa Boscoreale exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art , all Oplontis frescoes, among the finest in the Roman world , are kept on site in perfect condition. The quality ^of the 2nd Pompeian style worn by its height, suggests that we called for this prestigious residence to the masters of the genre.

Synthesis of architecture and sculpture of the topiary art , pictorial art among the most successful indeed at stake here to strengthen that of other techniques in the representation of themes dear to the Romans cultivated buffs Hellenism of theater and mythology, but also old people of peasants, tied to nature.

The stagecraft, mythological scenes, bucolic landscapes or still lifes are represented here in an abundance of fantastic landscapes, imaginary spaces, horizons multiplied, and a delight refinements.

Scrolls, swags, garlands of precious stones, come hug masks, ritual objects, vases of flowers, fruit cups, placed on ledges or feints framing windows sham. Fountains, flowering meadows, areas inhabited by birds or insects frozen on the walls merge with fountains, meadows, birds or insects flitting around.

A theme is, however, and particularly recurrent in the decoration of the villa and appeared to be an allusion to Poppea, wife of Nero: The representation of the peacock. The bird is indeed an attribute of Juno , wife of Jupiter , the divine equivalent of the Emperor, and is repeated many times in different rooms.

Notes

Bibliography

Guzzo, Pier Giovanni; Fergola, Lorenzo (trans. Bresson-Lucas, Anne Lucas-Bresson), The villa Oplontis References

Related articles

• Art of Ancient Rome
• Suburban villa
• Villa rustica
• Villa urbana
• Pompeii
• Herculaneum
• Stabiae
• Poppea
• The incoronazione di Poppea
• Table Peutinger
• Torre Annunziata

External Links

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• Villa Poppea at Oplontis on the site of the Campania region (it)
• Excavations at the site of archaeological superintendent of Pompeii (in)
• Guided tour through the photos of Laura and Bill Maish Storage
• Villa Poppea at Oplontis texts and images by Patricia Carles

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