The House of Queen Caroline (VIII.3.14) at Pompeii was first excavated between 1790 and 1840, revealing fine wall paintings in finely decorated rooms and a kitchen and latrine arrange around an atrium ornamented as a garden. The complex opened on the north side to one of the larger walled gardens of the city, featuring two shrines with altars and, not lost, a statue of Diana. A brief period of tourism followed, but as the paintings left in situ faded, the house’s popularity faded. Never well-documented, by the 1870s the “Casa della Regina Carolina” no longer appeared on maps nor in guidebooks through the 20th century. This talk brings the garden and house back to life based on new excavations by Cornell University and the University of Reading in collaboration with the Pompeii Archaeological Park between 2018-2022. The team’s findings show how the house’s owners used their garden to recover from the devastating earth quake of 62 CE.

Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic (for lay reader):

Barrett, C.E., K.L. Gleason, and A. Marzano, with additional contributions on palynology by D. Langgut. 2020. “The Casa della Regina Carolina (CRC) Project, Pompeii: Preliminary Report on 2018 and 2019 Field Seasons.” FOLD&R (Fasti OnLine Documents & Research) Italy.

Gleason, K.L., C.E. Barrett, and A. Marzano. 2020. “Casa della Regina Carolina, Regio VIII.3.14.” Fasti Online. Marzano, A. 2019. “Casa della Regina Carolina, Regio VIII.3.14.” Fasti Online.