An ornate house – containing a fresco featuring a huge phallus – that was owned by two freed men freed from slavery in the ancient city of Pompeii has reopened to the public.
The House of the Vettii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 before being rediscovered in a largely preserved state during excavations in the late 19th century.
The home, believed to have been constructed in the second century BC, has reopened after years of complex restoration work.
Located in the ancient city’s wealthy quarter, the sprawling House of the Vettii was owned by Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva, who became rich by selling wine after being freed from slavery.
Theories in the past have suggested that the two men were brothers, but it is more likely that they met when enslaved and had the same master, whose name was Aulus Vettius, according to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii archaeological park.
“If they were from the same family the first two names would have been different and they would have the same surname,” he said. “It was uncommon to have biological siblings who were slaves and then set free, because family ties were cut with slavery so it’s very unlikely they were brothers. It’s more likely that they were buddies during their time as slaves and then set free.”
Restitutus, meaning “given back”, was a typical name given to a freed slave, Zuchtriegel said.
It was not unusual for people freed from slavery to thrive in ancient Pompeii, and the House of the Vettii was filled with elegant frescoes by the two wine traders, who also expanded the home to include a garden with statues and a fountain.
Among the most striking frescoes is one at the entrance of the home: this depicts Priapus, the god of fertility and abundance, with a large penis balancing on a scale next to a bag filled with money, thought to have symbolised the wealth accumulated by the men.
Inside the home is a 15cm-high frieze that runs along the wall of a room believed to have been a dining room, which features cupids engaged in activities such as making perfume or selling wine. It also depicts divine couples and gods including Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
A small room close to the kitchen, which contains erotic frescoes, was believed to have been used as a brothel. Next to Priapus at the entrance is a small inscription in Latin which refers to a woman with a Greek name, who is described as having “nice manners”, alongside an image of two Roman coins. The inscription is believed to have referred to the home’s small brothel.
Aulus Vettius Restitutus also joined the high-ranking Augustales, a college of priests who were in charge of a form of emperor worship.
Zuchtriegel said the abundance of treasures contained in the House of the Vettii is “absolutely astonishing” and if he was a visitor to Pompeii and had the opportunity to see just one home in the archaeological park, it would be this one.
“This is the house which tells the story of Roman society,” he said. “On the one hand you have the artwork, paintings and statues, and on the other you have the social story [of the freed slaves]. The house is one of the relatively few in Pompeii for which we have the names of the owners.”
• This article was amended on 10 January 2023. Vesuvius erupted in AD79, not AD74 as an earlier version stated.
