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La Victoire de Samothrace, Unknown, 190 BC

House of the Faun

Pompeii

1st c. AD

Pompeii has incredibly well-preserved villas.

The House of the Faun is one of the largest private residences ever found in the Roman world.

It measures 3,000 square meters and occupied an entire block.

The house had 2 gardens, 4 dining rooms, an office, servant quarters, a kitchen, bedrooms, private baths...

The name comes from a statue found inside the atrium

A faun is half-human, half-goat.

The villa is famous for its incredible floor mosaics.

The hallway has a mosaic reading "Have" : meaning both "Hello" and "Goodbye"!

It leads into the atrium, one of the most important parts of the house.

The owners would relax and receive guests here.

The open roof would let light in, help ventilate the house and help collect drinking water.

At the back, looking onto the garden, was the office, with dining rooms on either side including mosaics of partridges, ducks, fish - and Dionysos riding a panther.