The Roman Villa (cubiculum)

Foto: Peter de Ru
Farthest away in the garden, just above the end of the pergola, we find remnants of a so-called cubiculum, a small bedroom.

On the walls can be seen remnants of paintings in red on a white background, of a type that is common, for example, in Pompei. These paintings are probably from a later date than the Augustan period (27 BC- 14 AD). According to Arvid Andrén this indicates that Tiberius must have also used the villa.

The floor is a simple mosaic floor in white with black decor, made with small mosaic tiles, so-called tesserae. On the right side of the room the floor is somewhat raised; the bed probably was placed here. Above this cubiculum Munthe had a roof erected to protect it.

Immediately next to the cubiculum there are further traces of Roman masonry. Perhaps this is from an adjacent room or from a portico facing the sea. Here as well a corner of a mosaic floor similar to the cubiculum floor is preserved, with traces of wall plaster, painted in Pompei red.

The most interesting aspect here, however, is the masonry itself. It is Opus reticulatum, a type of brickwork where small squared blocks were laid in a fishnet pattern in the cement core. This type of brickwork is very common in the Augustan period.

It is these remnants of a Roman villa that Amedeo Maiuri called ”the poorest and most famous ruins on Capri.”

Ragnar Hedlund
Doctoral student at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Uppsala University.

Read about A Rustic Villa by the Sea.