Pompeii, thirteen terracotta figurines emerge from a domus

During the excavation of a domus adjoining theHouse of Leda and the Swan at Pompeii Archaeological Park, thirteen terracotta figurines, about fifteen centimeters tall, have emerged, as reported in theE-journal of Pompeii Excavations. These small statues include human figures, as well as a walnut, an almond, the head of a clay rooster, and a glass pine cone, which were found standing upright on a horizontal plane inside a compartment where a shelf was probably located.

The sculptures emerged from the lapilli at a height of more than two meters above the floor level. The room that held them, probably the atrium of the house, also had decorations surfaced for the time being in the upper part of the walls.

From initial studies, some of the subjects seem to refer to the myth of Cybele and Attis, linked to the life cycle of the seasons and the fertility of the earth and thus to the spring equinox.

The ongoing construction site is affecting already known rooms of the House of Leda (brought to light between 2018 and 2019 as part of the works planned by the Great Pompeii Project) and those of two domus, not better identified, that develop north and south of the House of Leda. During the removal phase of the soil still present in some rooms of the house of Leda, in order to reach the floor level, a finely frescoed room also emerged where four roundels with female faces stand out. The excavation is aimed at securing the excavation fronts and safeguarding and preserving the decorative apparatus, also in view of the public accessibility of the complex.

Pompeii, thirteen terracotta figurines emerge from a domus

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