House of Dioscuri, Pompei

The House of the Dioscuri is named after Castor and Pollux, the sons of Jupiter and Leda, who were collectively known as the Dioscuri. The house, an expansive villa complex in keeping with many in Pompei, does have an unusual feature at its centre. The atrium is in the Corinthian style, and is surrounded by twelve tufa columns. Other houses in Pompei tend to be built around either Tuscan atriums without surrounding columns, or tetrastyle atriums, which have four columns. The atrium has a central impluvium and tablinum, whilst the walls were once richly decorated with frescoes. Many of these have been transferred to museums, to protect them from the elements and bring them to a wider audience.

There are still a number of frescoes visible within the house, many depicting elaborate carpets and architecture, as well as a number of fine still life ‘fourth style’ artworks. Behind the atrium, there is a porticoed courtyard flanked with Doric columns, and a peristyle, complete with a large basin in the centre. There are several wall paintings around the peristyle, which are in the same style as those found in the House of the Vettii. This has led to the theory that these works were created by the same artist, whose services were paid for by the wealthy home owners.