Pompeii. Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Excavated 1763.

Part 1.                                                                        Part 2

 

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2010. Looking north from inside the city.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

 

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. About 1870. Looking north from inside the city.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. September 2004. Looking north from inside the city.

According to Eschebach, the ancient name for this gate was Porta salis, or the Salt Gate.

See Eschebach, L., 1993. Gebäudeverzeichnis und Stadtplan der antiken Stadt Pompeji. Köln: Böhlau. (p.10)

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Between 1867 and 1874.

Looking north from inside the city. Photo by Sommer and Behles. Photo courtesy of Charles Marty.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. December 2004.

Looking north from inside the city.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking south from the Via dei Sepolcri.

 

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2010. Looking south from the Via dei Sepolcri.

Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

 

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Cippus of Suedius Clemens.

Found 16th August 1763, on the south of the street close to the entrance to HGW05, almost opposite to the circular seat of Mamia.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 3848.

The inscription reads

EX AVCTORITATE

IMP CAESARIS

VESPASIANI AVG

LOCA PVBLICA A PRIVATIS

POSSESSA T SVEDIVS CLEMENS

TRIBVNVS CAVSIS COGNITIS ET

MENSVRIS FACTIS REI

PVBLICAE POMPEIANORVM

RESTITVIT      [CIL X 1018]

 

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) this reads

Ex auctoritate

Imp(eratoris) Caesaris

Vespasiani Aug(usti)

loca publica a privatis

possessa T(itus) Suedius Clemens

tribunus causis cognitis et

mensuris factis rei

publicae Pompeianorum

restituit      [CIL X 1018]

 

By virtue of authority conferred upon him by the Emperor Vespasian Caesar Augustus,

Titus Suedius Clemens, tribune, having investigated the facts and taken measurements,

restored to the citizens of Pompeii public places illegally appropriated by private persons.

 

Similar Cippi were found at the Porta Marina, Porta Nocera and the Porta Vesuvio.

The wording “rei publicae Pompeianorum” on one of these, discovered in 1763, was the first positive identification that the site was Pompeii.

Until then scholars had divided opinions on the city buried under Civita. Many, including the first official excavators, thought it was the ancient city of Stabiae.

See Conticello, B., Ed, 1990. Rediscovering Pompeii. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p. 225).

 

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. On 16^th August 1763 an inscribed cippus was found.

This confirmed that the Civita was in fact the site of Pompeii.

Also found was a consular statue of marble.

The cippus is now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 3848.

The statue is now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 6235.

See PAH 1 1 153, add. 114, n.12.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. September 2005. Looking north through east side.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking south through east side.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. East side.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking east towards east side.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking east towards east side.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking east towards east side.

 

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking south towards east side.

 

 

 

 

Part 2