|
The Casa del Colonnato Tuscanico is located at the back of important public buildings only partially open-excavated and located in the area of the city situated at the intersection of the decumanus maximus with the upper III cardo: the Basilica Noniana, the Sede degli Augustali and the Augusteum wirh a wall decoration dominated by the fìgure of Hercules, the founder of Herculaneum in mythology. The wall decoration of room n° 3 of this dwellimg. belonging to the Late Third Style, recalls the motifs and decorative style characterizing public buildings in the city. Three pictures positioned in the middle and upper part of tbe back and eastern wall of the room have been preserved. It is likely that other fresco pictures decorated the western wall as well as the western stretch of the back one.
The fresco on the rear and better preserved wall shows the scene of a bull sacrifice and includes three naked men: on the left is Hercules, shown in his right profile, holding a club and with a leonté on his right arm, while his left arm is stretched out to accompany the animal grasped by the horns by the other character to direct it towards the altar. On the altar the third character with a cloak on his left shoulder holds out a dish (patera) for the libation. According to recent studies, this scene represents the start of the worship of Hercules in Ara Massima in Foro Boario in Rome and indirectly suggest a reference to the foundation of Herculaneum by Hercules, thus linking the city of Herculaneum with th ancient Rome.
It is likely that the other two damaged pictures were relevant to the same episode of the myth and would show the events preceding the sacrifice, Hercules resting after arriving in the kingdom of Evandrus, the arrival of messengers of the latter and the meeting of the two.
Source
Soprintendenza
Archeologica di Pompei |
