CSCP - CLC - Book 1

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Stage 1 ~ Caecilius
This first Stage introduces us to the members of the Pompeian family that we'll be following throughout Book I. Caecilius, a banker, is the head of the household; Metella is his wife; and Quintus is their son. Meet other members of the family in the story "Cerberus", and then discover more about their lives and their home in the websites listed below.

Cerberus

Page 6

Caecilius may be the head of the household, but it's Cerberus, the greedy guard-dog, that's the star of this story. Will he be 'top dog', or will he be in the dog-house?

Explore the story

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	Stage 1 vocabulary

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Videos

We are trialling access to the civilisation videos from the E-Learning Resource in Stage 1.

Pompeian Gardens

Can you help? If you've found a link we could add please email us.

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CSCP is not responsible for the content of external sites.

THE TOWN OF POMPEII
Click for our main section of links.
For houses in Pompeii see separate section on Roman Houses below...

Bay of Naples map: simple

Showing location of some of the old Roman towns.

Bay of Naples map: detailed

Includes the modern Italian and ancient Roman names of many of the important towns and villas around the Bay of Naples.

Bay of Naples map: satellite

The snow-capped volcano Vesuvius is in the centre of the image.

CAECILIUS

Bronze Head of Caecilius

The portrait of Caecilius found in his house in Pompeii, as featured on the cover of Book I.

Caecilius, Head of the Family

Brief description of his role as "paterfamilias" - the head of the family.

Caecilius' House 1

Short description with small 3-D plan of the house on the "official" Pompeii website.
In addition, click these following links for plans and photos of:
- a plan of the house (marked in pink);
- a detailed plan;
- the front door;
- the atrium & tablinum (study);
- drawings of the wall-paintings in the tablinum, now sadly faded;
- a mosaic of a dog in the entrance to Caecilius' house - which may or may not have been called Cerberus!
- a close-up of the dog mosaic taken by Cambridge Latin Course user Leighton Pritchard, who on a 2007 trip to Pompeii called in at Caecilius' house and discovered that this mosaic, usally covered over for protection, was on show. However, Caecilius and his family were all out...
If you have a photo of the people or places we encounter in the Cambridge Latin Course, and which you're willing to share, please email it to us and we should be able to link to it for other "CLC clubbers" to enjoy.

Q. Where is Caecilius' house in Pompeii?
A. It's No.34 on the Official Map.

Caecilius' House 2

A detailed website on the recent excavations by Swedish archaeologists. Clickable plans allow you to explore the house in detail.

Writing Tablet

One "page" of a wooden writing-board known as a "wax tablet" because of the layer of wax (now blackened in this example) which sat in hollow in the centre of the board. The Romans scratched writing into the wax which could also be smoothed over and then re-used. This example is from near Cologne in Germany.
Here is a drawing of one of the tablets found in Caecilius' house.
There's more info and links in our section on Roman writing.

Caecilius, the Auctioneer

Scroll halfway down the page to "Accounts of the Past", to read one of Caecilius' business records written on the wax tablets found in his house. It tells us how much money the auction made, but unfortunately doesn't tell us how much he kept for himself!

ROMAN HOUSES

NEW: Roman Houses 0.5: plan

Plan of a typical Roman atrium-style house - as shown in CLC Book 1, p.11.

Roman Houses 1: 3D-drawing

Fantastic, cut-away drawing of a Roman house.

Roman Houses 2: vitual reality

Use your keyboard arrows to move around the rooms of this computer-generated Roman house.

Roman Houses 3: general plan

A more detailed explanation of the design of Roman houses; click rooms on the interactive plan to learn more about each area.

Roman Houses 4: Pompeii

A more complex explanation of the Roman house - from the official Pompeii website - indicating how it developed over time. Additionally, this page links to individual descriptions and pictures of selected houses in Pompeii.

Below is our selection of the best-preserved and/or most famous houses in POMPEII.
Use this Official Map of Pompeii to locate the following houses in the ruined city. Happy house-hunting!

* The House of Julius Polybius

- No.54 on the Official Map -
*DO NOT MISS THIS*
Pompeii has come to life again thanks to 3D visual restoration. Among the most impressive residences found beneath the volcanic ash in Pompeii is the "House of Julius Polybius" due to its size, its wall-paintings and its furnishings.
In this virtual-reality film, the spectator is led to discover the many rooms of that palatial house in full detail, including the exact position of everyday objects precisely as they were found minutes before the explosion of the volcano in AD 79. The movie is 9 minutes long and worth every second! Produced by Altair4.
- Plan;
- 360-degree panoramas of the kitchen and the peristyle (note: you may need to open or reload these links in a maximized window for them to work);
- Comprehensive photos;
- Official webpage includes reconstructed view from above.

* The House of the Vettii

- No.36 on the Official Map -
Famous for its fabulous wall paintings and its beautiful peristyle garden, reconstructed here in the main link photo.
- Plan with photos;
- Comprehensive photos;
- Detailed room descriptions;
- The original garden sculpture;
- 8 quality videos, totaling about 20 mins in length, featuring aspects of the house; the first three come with a commentary for which you may need a Latin dictionary (e.g. "let's circum-ambulate the peristyle...")! Produced by the Pompeii Forum Project.
- Official webpage includes sketch of the ruins from above.

* The House of the Tragic Poet

- No.22 on the Official Map -
Although most famous for its "Cave Canem" ("Beware of the Dog") mosaic in its entrance coridor, the house took its name from a floor mosaic in its tablinum (office/study) depicting actors preparing for a play - a tragedy guessing by their masks!
- ! Virtual-reality movie & stills: after following this link, click Pompeii on the left-hand, red column; then choose Poeta Tragico from the menu going across the centre.
- Photos;
- Plan;
- Official webpage.

* The House of the Faun

- No.17 on the Official Map -
The largest house in Pompeii, named after the little statue of a dancing faun (a half goat, half human woodland mythological creature) in the middle of the impluvium. The house contained some of the best mosaics found from Pompeii.
- ! Interactive fly-over & panoramas. Click Casa del Fauno below the aerial-photo to zoom into the house; then click the swirling hotspots to see 360-degree panoramas.
- ! Virtual-reality movie & stills: after following this link, click Pompeii on the left-hand, red column; then choose Fauno from the menu going across the centre.
- 3 quality videos, totaling about 10 mins in length, with commentary on & walkthroughs of the house. Produced by the Pompeii Forum Project.
- Tourist video of a walk-through of the house.
- 360-degree panorama of the atrium (note: you may need to open or reload this link in a maximized window for it to work);
- Plan;
- 3-D plan;
- Photos of house, inc. mosaics, paintings & objects found inside;
- Official webpage includes drawing of ruins from above.

* The House of Menander

- No.51 on the Official Map -
Named for the Greek playwright Menander depicted in a wall-painting (shown in the main link), the house is one of the most important in Pompeii because of its elegant frescoes and mosaics, as well as exquisite objects discovered here.
- ! Interactive fly-over & panoramas. Click Casa del Menandro below the aerial-photo to zoom into the house; then click the swirling hotspots to see 360-degree panoramas.
- Plan with detailed room descriptions;
- Photos of house and silver finds;
- Official webpage includes reconstructed view from above.

* The House of Octavius Quartio (aka Loreius Tiburtinus)

- No.58 on the Official Map -
Sumptuous gardens with water-features.
- ! Interactive fly-over & panoramas. Click Casa di Octavius Quartio below the aerial-photo to zoom into the house; then click the swirling hotspots to see 360-degree panoramas.
- ! Virtual-reality movie & stills: after following this link, click Pompeii on the left-hand, red column; then choose Loreio from the menu going across the centre.
- CGI-movie of the Garden (will play full-screen);
- Plan;
- Spectacular finds;
- Photos of house and the finds;
- Official webpage includes reconstructed view from above.

* The House of Venus in her Shell

Note: you may need to open or reload this link in a maximized window for it to work);
- No.59 on the Official Map -
Also known as the House of Marine Venus, it's famed for its beautiful garden with a well-preserved wall-painting of Venus being pulled over the sea in a shell.
- Photos;
- Plan;
- Official webpage includes reconstructed view from above.

* The House of the Silver Wedding

Note: you may need to open or reload this link in a maximized window for it to work)
- Not marked on the Official Map as it is currently off-limits down the closed Vicolo delle Nozze d'Argento; but it's located here -
Excavated in 1893, the same year as the silver wedding anniversary of the Italian king, this house features a splendid atrium with Corinthian columns.
- Plan with detailed room descriptions;

* The House of Marcus Lucretius Fronto

Note: you may need to open or reload this link in a maximized window for it to work)
- Not marked on the Official Map as it is currently off-limits down the closed Via di Nola; but it's located here -
this 360-degree panorama is shot from the wonderfully decorated tablinum and shows the simple atrium and its marble table.
- Plan;
- Photos.

* House of the Fruit Orchard

- Not marked on the Official Map, but it is opposite No.54 (House of Julius Polybius) on Via della Abondanza -
Absolutely fabulous, virtual-reality website from the British School of Archaeology in Rome where you can view 3D models of houses in Insula (Block) I.9. Definitely check out the great animation of the House of the Fruit Orchard (Casa Frutteto or House 5) which flies into the reconstructed bedrooms and dining room. Examine 3D archaeological finds and view clickable panoramas of streets and houses.

Roman Houses 4 - Herculaneum

Near to Pompeii lies the buried city of Herculaneum. This official website has links to individual descriptions and pictures of the houses.

Check out especially:

* The House of the Wooden Partition

which is one of the best preserved houses in Herculaneum.
Unfortunately its official webpage has not been preserved so well... maybe one day it will rise from the ashes!
Here's the description of the house

* The House of Neptune and Amphitrite

famed for its outdoor summer dining-room (note the raised pavements for three couches) and its lavish mosaics.

Roman Houses 5 - Boscoreale, House of Fannius Synistor

A house near Pompeii, famous for its well-preserved bedroom now transported to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Rich Romans on the Bay of Naples

As well as towns like Pompeii that were full of hard-working people, there were lots of luxury villas dotted around the Bay of Naples.
This short video looks at who these rich Romans were and why they came to the Bay.

ROMAN GARDENS

Roman Gardens 1

Great webpage about the types of plants found in Roman gardens, illustrated by actual Roman wall-paintings of the plants! Beautiful!

Roman Gardens 2

Short webapge on Roman gardens but includes the wonderful "Garden Fresco" from the House of the Braclet in Pompeii that faced and perhaps copied the real garden opposite it. Click the small version to learn about the plants and birds depicted - and hear their birdsong.

Roman Gardens 3

Super description of Roman gardens by Natasha Sheldon.

Roman Gardens 4

Roman wall-painting from the Villa of Livia at Primaporta near Rome showing an almost wild garden full of trees, flowers and birds. Now in the Palazzo Massimo Museum of Rome.

Roman Gardens 5: podcast

A 5-minute podcast in which Roman gardens are discussed. Porduced by the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

ROMAN FAMILY LIFE & CHILDREN

The Roman Family 1

The structure of the family, the roles of the father and the mother, and marriage are explored in this accessible webpage.

The Roman Family 2

Aimed at younger students.

NEW - Roman Children 1: sculpture

This Roman sculpture shows various stages in a boy's life: from a suckling baby, to a toddler in his father's arms, to playing, to learning at his father's knee.
Part of the sarcophagus (stone coffin) of M. Cornelius Statius; 2nd-century AD; now in the Louvre Museum, Paris.

Roman Children 2

Short description of a child's life - from birth to coming-of-age.

Roman Children 3

The toys and games popular with Roman children.

Roman Children 4: toys

A selection of Roman toys, including some that would be familiar to children today: a doll, rattles, dice, and small dishes for playing house. In the National Archaeoligical Museum in Tarragona, Spain.

Roman Children 5: rocking cradle

Wooden rocking cradle preserved in the volcanic ash that covered Herculaneum in 79 AD. The wonder of its preservation is tempered by the knowledge that the little baby that was in it was killed in the disaster. From the House of M.Pilius Primigenius Granianus.

MARRIAGE

Marriage 1

A look at love, engagement and marriage!

Marriage 2

Excellent few pages on the different aspects Roman marriage: Introduction & Types of Marriage; Preparing for a Wedding; The Wedding Ceremony; and the Ideal Marriage.
This page takes you to the "Wedding Ceremony" section.

Marriage 3

A re-enactment of a marriage ceremony. The enormous age-gap between bride and groom in this instance while not terribly unusual in Roman times, should not be thought of as normal.

Marriage 4: a modern, ancient-Roman wedding

No re-enactment, but a real marriage ceremony staying as close to the ancient Roman forumlas as possible.
Look through the pages for some useful insights.

Marriage 5: here comes the bride

The distinguishing veil on a Roman wedding dress is described as "flame-coloured". Modern reconstructions thus vary from red to yellow depending on your interpretation of the colour of a flame!

Marriage 6

Extremely detailed, hyperlinked analysis suitable for older students.

Marriage 7: sculpture

A marble relief sculpture of a wedding ceremony, as depicted on the title-page of Stage 38. The groom, holding the wedding contract, joins hands with his bride (wearing the veil) as part of the ceremony; between them stands either the pronuba (maid-of-honour) or Juno in her role as goddess of marriage. The smaller figure to the left is a witness. Another view.
Found in Rome, now in the British Museum.

Marriage 8: sculpture

The central relief on this stone sarcophagus shows a scene from a couple's wedding day: they clasp hands while Cupid stands between holding the ceremonial wedding torch. In the Glyptothek in Munich.

Marriage 9: sculpture

Marble cinerary urn of Vernasia Cyclas, as depicted on p.66 of CLC Bk.V. Originally from Rome; now in the British Museum.

Marriage 10: rings

A drawing of the betrothal ring as featured on p.62 of CLC Bk.V. The original is in the British Museum.

Marriage 11: rings

A wonderful gold betrothal ring, one of only three found in Roman Britain.

Marriage 12: wall-painting - wedding-night nerves

This famous painting is known as the "Aldobrandini Wedding" fresco. Found in 1601, it was one of the first ancient figured wall-paintings to come to light after centuries of the Roman culture having being forgotten and/or neglected. It was cut from the walls of a late 1st century BC Roman house on the Esquiline Hill in Rome and entered the possession of the Aldobrandini family until purchased for the Vatican in 1818 where it is now displayed. On its discovery it enjoyed enormous fame and prestige.
The nervous-looking bride has taken off her flame-coloured veil and laid it on the bed while getting reassurance from her friend; the groom sits by the bed with nervous expectation, while other rites and musical celebrations take place outside the bedroom. Detail.

Marriage 13: sculpture - Husband & Wife

The "his and hers" sculpted busts of Roman husband and wife (in the Vatican Museum); as depicted on p.52 of CLC Bk.V.

Marriage 14: the Portland Vase

An expensive wedding present? The Portland Vase is one of the most famous pieces of Roman glass - and its scenes of love and marriage would have made it a fitting, but very expensive, pressie!

Love and Marriage didn't necessarily go together ("like a horse & carriage" as the song goes) in Roman times...
However, for some sweet images of Romans in love, see the section:
amor: ROMAN IMAGES OF LOVE

ROMAN WOMEN

Roman Women 1

Excellent introduction to the place of women in Roman society, concentrating on the discrimination they faced, as well as noting that some asserted their individuality.

Roman Women 2

A picture of Roman women using ancient Roman sources.

Roman Women 3

Excellent website detailing the lives of the famous, the rich and the poor. Beatifully illustrated with portraits of Roman women.

Roman Women 4

Detailed examination of the lives of women in Roman society.

Roman Women 5: the ideal woman

An account of Cornelia Africana who was regarded by Romans as a role-model for women, not least for putting her children - her "jewels" - before her own happiness.
But, love for her children was not necessarily her motive.

Roman Women 6: playing the kithara

It seems that by the time of the Roman Empire it was then considered acceptable for upper class ladies to be able to play instruments such as the harp or lyre. This wonderful wall-painting from a villa near Pompeii shows an elegant lady playing the kithara (type of lyre) attended by her ?daughter.
From the Villa of Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale, ca. 40-30 B.C.; now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York.

ROMAN FASHION
Click for links to clothes, hairstyles, jewellery and more...

DOGS in GREECE & ROME

Cerberus, named after the mythical dog that guarded the Underworld, has been given the slender features of the dog that appears in the doorway-mosaic of Caecilius' house.
Although, difficult to specify his breed, it's obvious that he's neither a poodle nor a rottweiler. The ancient authors frequently mentioned Molossian hounds and Laconian Hounds as favourite hunting and guard dogs, but it seems to this webmaster that our Cerberus looks most like another famous ancient breed, the Cretan hound. What do you think?

Classical Dogs 1: the Cretan Hound

...and check out this picture which looks just like Cerberus on p.3.

Classical Dogs 2: Greek pooches

Classical Dogs 3: Greek & Roman pooches

Classical Dogs 4: Molossian breeds

The Molossians of classical times are no longer with us...but here are some of the dogs thought to be descended from them.

Classical Dogs 5: Roman statue

In the British Museum, and thought to be a Molossian hound.

Classical Dogs 6: Roman paw-print

The silly pooch walked across the sticky clay tiles before they were fired... and left his mark forever.

Classical Dogs 7: Roman mosaic

From the doorway of the House of Paquius Proculus in Pompeii... and it's still there in situ!

Classical Dogs 8: Roman mosaic

From the House of the Faun in Pompeii; now in the Archaeological Museum, Naples.
You can colour in this version!

Classical Dogs 9: Roman mosaic

a lucky look at a doorway mosaic in Pompeii that is usually covered over for protection.

Classical Dogs 10: Roman mosaic

It's the famous "cave canem" ("Beware of the dog!) mosaic from the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii. Still in situ.

Classical Dogs 11: Roman mosaic

In the entrance to Caecilius' house in Pompeii lies this mosaic of his dog. Who knows?...it may even have been called Cerberus!
And here's a drawing of it.

What to call a Classical Woof...

A list of real Roman dog names...

...and finally:

What have the Romans ever done for us?

It's now a "classic" clip... and one that everyone should know by heart - and it's still funny! In fact, a Blockbuster poll recently voted it the funniest movie scene ever!
So, what have the Romans ever done for us...?
Additionally, here's the script...

Caecilius chose his from our own Wallpaper Department.

TODAY‘S PROVERB

	timeo Danaos et dona ferentes

Guess the translation Change proverb: LUCKY DIP

You'd think someone would have thought of it - and bought C a CSCP calendar or diary.

7th September 2010 in the Roman calendar is:
ante diem septimum Idus Septembris
or
a.d. VII Id. Sept.
for short!
Important dates? Try them the Roman way (with explanation).

Or not. You can always try a CSCP
e-postcard.

See an example

Send a card

M.O.Rose,

The Downs,

Grimthorpe.


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