AntiquariumofBoscoreale

Man and environment in the vesuvian area

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VISIT US HERE
Via Settetermini, viale Villa Regina – Locality Villa Regina
Boscoreale (Na) - Tel./Fax 081.5368796

TIMETABLE

From April the 1st to October the 31st Everyday from 8.30 am to 7.30 pm(last logged 6 pm) 1st November – 31st Marzo: Everyday
from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm (last logged 5 pm)
Closing day: January 1 – May 1 – December 25

GETTING HERE

Carfrom Napoli:
Autostrada A3 Napoli-Salerno - Torre Annunziata sud exitfrom Salerno:
Autostrada A3 - Boscoreale exit

TICKETS

Single Entrance with access to 3 sites(Boscoreale, Oplonti, Stabia) - valid for 1 day
Full price ticket: € 5,50 – Reduced price ticket: € 2,75
Single Entrance with access to 5 sites(Pompei, Ercolano, Oplonti, Stabia, Boscoreale) - 3 days validity
Full price ticket: € 20,00 – Reduced Price Ticket: € 10,00
Free entrance:
EU Citizens younger than 18yoPrint: Editrice Cerbone - 081.8354357

2ANTIQUARIUM of BOSCOREALE
Man and environment in the vesuvian area

The National Antiquarium “Man and environment in theterritory of Vesuvius“ was inaugurated in March 1991, it islocated in the archaeological area adjacent to Villa Regina, itis divided into two rooms: in the first one are displayed somearcheological findings from the Vesuvius area that allow you
to rebuild the environment and the economy of the Romanperiod, before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. which
destroyed the centers of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis(Torre Annunziata) and villas of Stabiae (Castellammare diStabia).The second room (II) shows the main findings ofBoscoreale’s territory characterized by many farms and villas.

3FIRST ROOM
The environment. A statue of the Sphinx, ancient guardianand symbol of power, welcomes the visitors. The Vesuvius
area is characterized by the cone of Vesuvius, enclosed in
the ancient volcanic area of Monte Somma. The copy of a
Pompeian fresco, from the House of the Centenary and now
at the Archaeological Museum of Naples, shows the volcanic
cone as it was before the eruption of 79 A.D. In the show
cases 1-2 finds report the exploitation of the sea: marine faunaspecies (mussels, limpets, sea urchins, cowries, fish) used as
food, tools and amulets; fishing tackle (hooks, a fishing net,hairpins networks); a fragment of an amphora with garum,
the the favoured fish sauce by the Romans, and also producedin Pompeii; botanical species growing along the coast (pinesrushes, reeds). A fresco from Pompeii with sailing Venus, thecopy of a pompeian mosaic with fishes and the reconstructionof the coastal environment.
The plain. The second exhibition area represents the territory’switnesses at the foot of Vesuvius. The flat area was crossedby the Sarno River, personified in a pompeian fresco, in thepicture; the river waters were populated by edible molluscs(show case 3). A well preserved cypress trunk of 79 D.C., which4was recovered in recent years, can be seen from the window.
The area was really fertile and was cultivated with tools suchas shovels, spades, hoes, of various shapes and sizes (showcase 4). A wicker basket from Herculaneum and a hay sample
found in the Villa of Oplontis (Villa B), represent some plant
species, highlighted with animals ones, in the reconstructionof the environment. Agricultural lands were divided into plots
based on an orthogonal grid of cardines and decumani byagrimensores, the ancient land surveyors. One of them, thepompeian Numerius Popidius Nicostratus, has his tombstone
displayed, on it we can see engraved his tools: the groma,an ancient tool for agricultural measurements, including areconstruction scale 1:1, the poles and the wire lead.
The hills. The hillside cultivations are exemplified by the thirdexhibition sector evidences (show cases 5-6). The slopes of thevolcano were mainly cultivated with vineyards, as showed by
the fresco of Vesuvius. This is also highlighted by the exhibits:
wine grapes, two samples of wine amphorae, one domestic
and the other for transport, and a glass jug. Several varietiesof grapevine were cultivated and the importance of thewines produced was also celebrated by the latin writers. The
cultivation of the vine was not the only agricultural activity
performed at the feet of Vesuvius, therefore especially on
the slopes of the Lattari mountains, the olive and fruit werecultivated. These agricultural activities were also proved byfinds such as amphore and specific containers, as well as
remains of olives and olive oil and a peach pit. A grass sample
5found in Terzigno witnesses the existence of cultivated fields
interchanged with other crops. The reconstruction of theenvironment presents the threshing floor of a rustic villa fromroman times, with courtyard animals and its rural landscape.
The mountains. The top of Vesuvius was covered by forests
inhabited by wild animals, deer, roe deer, wild boars, birds andsmall mammals, as it is shown by the reconstruction of theenvironment; woods exploitation provided timber, mushrooms,berries, fruits and medicinal plants; thanks to hunting meat,bone and horn to make amulets and tools, furniture hinges,
nuts, spindles, spoons was available (show case 7).
The wood, obtained by cutting and stripping bare the trees
with pruning hooks, hatchets and axes of iron, was usedtaking into account the specific characteristics of the variousessences. Two examples of ancient wood are displayed in
the show case 8: the first is a wax tablet, which was foundwith others in a building at the periphery of Pompeii; on its
surface, covered by wax, it is written with a pointed stylus anaccounting document; the other is a fragment of the trunkof a cypress, found near Pompeii buried eruption of 79 A.D.
The oak galls were used for tanning and dyeing instead.
Urban Green: As in the surrounding area, as well as within
the ancient city, the man-nature relationship was very tight.
The houses presented green spaces of various sizes, consistingof orchards and gardens, populated by animals and marble
furnishings, as it is confirmed, in addition to the findings of6the show case 9, also
depictions of gardensthat decorated the wallsof some houses faithfullyreproduce real gardens.
It is the case of wall
decorations that adorneda room of the houseof the Gold bracelet in
Pompeii, which depicts
exactly numerous animaland plant species, aswell as furniture such as
fountains and marble
statues, enclosed by a fence of reeds, so that the owner had
the illusion of being in a rich garden.
Crops and livestock:The main economic activities of theVesuvius area were agriculture and livestock. The finds
displayed (show case 10) show the presence of poultry (eggs),sheep (bells, horns, cheese), cattle (horns, cowbells), horses(elements trappings, oats, cover vegetable fiber and ironhooves). The big clay container is particular: it is a glirarium,
for the breeding of dormice, considered delicious by romangourmets. A cast of pork from rustic villa close to the museum
and the famous plaster cast of a guard dog (canis catenarius)
found in Pompeii in Marcus Vesonius Primus House (showcases 13-14) complete the field. These cast are manufactured
with the technique developed in the 19th century, whichallows to retrieve bodies’ shapes and other decomposing
organic remains that leave a vacuum in the consolidated ash
layer while decomposing.
Subsequent windows contain a sampling of the principal
cultivated plants: cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruits, they
are associated with a number of working tools, two grinders,a scythe, a modius, bronze and glass furnishings, and one of7

MAP OF I ROOM

The sea and the coast

TICKETSMedicine

The area of the hills

Cosmetics
Crops

The mountains
The urban greenery
Animal breeding	  8Crops

The plain- Centuration

The sea and the coast

The plain- Centuration

Medicine

The area of the hills

Cosmetics

The mountains
The urban greenery
Animal breeding

The religion world
religionfabrics
world
Plants for Themaking
Plants for making fabrics

and plantsand
fordyeingplants for dyeing	  MAP OF II ROOM

EXIT

Villa of the D’Acunzo property
Villa of Publius Fannius Synistor
Villa Regina
Villa of Pisanella	  Villa of Numerius Popidius Florus
Villa of Bona Dea

Villa of the D’Acunzo property

Villa of Numerius Popidius Florus

of Bona
Dea
Villa of MarcusVillaLivius
Marcellus

Villa of Publius Fannius Synistor
Villa Regina

Villa of Marcus Livius Marcellus

The territoryThe territory

Villa of Pisanella

9the bread loaves found in an oven of Pompeii. In the middle ofthe room, in four sectors, some particular uses of plant species
in the ancient world, exemplified by its tools.
The medicine: Glass bottles of different sizes were used toprepare the dilutions for the composition of medicamentsof vegetable or animal origin, obtained by crushing thecomponents in a marble mortar; a choice of surgicalinstruments in bronze complete the showcase.
Perfumes and cosmetics: it is reconstructed a female dresser
with a mirror, a comb, tweezers, some little spatulas and aseries of perfume flake of various forms used for scented
creams and ointments, obtained from vegetable extracts andoils of different species.
10Plants and sacred animals: Plants were also used during
religious rituals. This is demonstrated by the bronze portraitof a young man adorned with a floral crown and a priestly
bandage, from a house of Pompeii, and a clay jar with therepresentation of fruits and animals, found in a place ofworship in Pompeii, So called the “Magical rites Complex”.
Textile and dyeing species: Tissue samples and plant andanimal fibers, found in Vesuvian cities; some plants and amollusc, the murex, provided the colours for dyeing fabrics.

11SECOND ROOM

The villas of Boscoreale. The hilly area in the north of Pompeii
was particularly fertile in the ancient times and was scattered withmanufacturing plants, and the residence of the owner, the dominus,
the so called Urban pars, was often a large and luxurious area. Mostof these villas were excavated in the late 19th and the early 20th
century by private people; excavations were aimed at the recoveryof the furnishings and wall and floor decorations; therefore thebuildings were generally reburied. Recent excavations, conductedaccording to scientific criteria, enabled the total recovery of otherarchaeological sites and the reconstruction of the contexts and thesurrounding environment instead.
Villa propertie of D’Acunzo: partly excavated in 1903 andsubsequently reinterred, the villa, located in the suburbs of Boscoreale,is characterized by the presence, at the entrance, of a selling point offund products and a refreshment stand. Among the finds they founda number of deities in bronze statuettes, now in Baltimore (USA)and an interesting vase clay donut-shaped, decorated with beaded
berries and leaves, now at the Archaeological Museum of Naples.
Villa Regina: discovered in 1977 during some construction work,
the villa underwent careful excavations, which were completed in1980. The complex, small in size, is centered on a wine cellar thathosts 18 clay containers (dolia) underground for storaging wine,
made from grapes in the must press produced in the vineyards

12surrounding the villa and of which it waspossible to rebuild the plant. The overall
capacity of dolia was about 10.000 liters ofwine. Regarding the urban pars, the only
formal room was the triclinium, a dining
room, adorned with paintings of the fourthstyle. Among the objects found, displayedin the show cases 1 and 2, there are alsoa small marble herm of the god Bacchus,a lararium from the porch, tableware andkitchen, some lamps, including one (n. 5),
dating from the III-IV century A.D., whichshows that the site was frequented even after the eruption of
79 A.D. In the villa was also found a carriage cart (plaustrum) and apig, which was possible to perform a cast, exposed in the first room.
Villa of Publius Fannius Synistor: the villa, excavated between
1899 and 1903, is known for the magnificent wall paintings in II
style, dated between 50 and 40 B.C., preserved in various Italian andforeign museums. The frescoes of cubiculum n. 9 are reproduced
almost life-size, now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of New
York; of considerable interest are the frescoes of the hall n. 5, withgreat mythical and historical figures alluding to the birth of Alexander
the Great and his conquest of Asia. The reproduction of one panelof these frescoes is exposed now at the Archaeological Museum ofNaples. In the central window there is a bronze vessel, within
the edge is engraved the capacity of the container and thename of Publius Fannius Synistor, owner of the complex. The
polychrome floor mosaic with geometric pattern in perspective
cubes that decorated the triclinium
11 has been recently acquired.
The floor mosaic with the gate
pattern from the salon H has also
been exposed since very short time.
Villa of Pisanella: the large villa,
excavated between 1894 and 1898,
is reproduced in a plastic at thecenter of the room. It is famous for13the discovery of the so called “Treasure of Boscoreale”: 109 piecesof silver tableware, kept at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which washidden in an underground environment of the press. The equipmentof the villa, dated back to the beginning of I century B.C., consistsof an urban pars, for the stays of the owner and a small spa area,
and a pars rustica,for the processing of the agricultural productsof the farm. The service areas included both the living quarters of
the servitude as well those intended for processing and storage of
agricultural products: the bakery with mills for grain, the stable,
the wine press, the oil and oil press,
the breadbasket for the crusher crops
harvested and the wagon, and finally,at the center, the wine cellar intended
for storing wine, oil and cereal crops.
Among the found objects, displayed in
the show cases 5-8, there are tablewareand kitchenware, iron tools, bronze
buckles, a melted of bone, seals andelements of furniture. The mosaic withwading bird, wich was in the calidarium,
recently was purchased from the State.
Villa of Numerius Popidius Florus:
explored in 1906, the villa is organized around a porch on which
environments, both rustic and residential, are arranged on twofloors. The villa dates back to the first century B.C., but now remains
in the light only part of the spa district.
The frescoed walls recomposed in
Antiquarium were acquired by theState: from the cubiculum n. 23 thepaintings are in IV style of the middleof the first century A.D. (Nero’s age).
In frigidarium there was a mosaic
with a pair of wrestlers, whereas on
the doorway there was a welcome
sign HAVE SALVE, exposed, in whitetiles on the bottom of earthenware.
The owner’s name, Numerius Popidius
14Florus, appears on the two slabs of marble with a dedication
to protecting deities Jupiter, Venus, Liber and Hercules.
Villa in Via Casone Grotta: one of therecent discoveries in the territoryof Boscoreale is the one
occurred in 1986, in a romanvilla of which was brought tolight the domestic shrine only,
which is equipped with a nicheIarario. Within the villa there was a marbled simulacrum ofa female deity in a banquet setting, adorned with precious gold
miniature jewelry; they also found a silver plate with a relief
depiction of the divinity itself, Bona Dea and the other sincethat are displayed . The main part of the villa dates back to thelate Republican period, after the middle of the first century B.C.,
while the lararium was added in the course of the first century
A.D. Even this settlement, like most of the villas of the northPompeian hinterland, apparently had to be a productive site.

Villa of Marcus Livius Marcellus: discovered in 1928, thevilla was given to the family of Livii based on the discovery of abronze seal bearing the name of Marcus Livius Marcellus. Thevilla, only partially investigated, returned among the otherfinds the ivory plaque decorated in relief.
In the room is temporarily hosted, the marble statue of Livia
from the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompei.
The exhibit could be subject to changes or extensions.

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POMPEIERCOLANOBOSCOREALEOPLONTISSTABIA

Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo
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October 2016 - © Copyright Soprintendenza Speciale Pompei