The Caupona of Purpurio opens onto Via dell’Abbondanza immediately beside the House of the Chaste Lovers. The establishment was probably used for the sale and consumption of food and drink.
Its conventional name derives from inscriptions found on the façade and within the premises. As with many Pompeian commercial establishments, however, the identification of its operator should be treated with caution; the modern name cannot be taken as proof of who owned the building in AD 79.
The façade retained a notable depiction of a gladiatorial combat. Painted in red directly beside the entrance was the final stage of a duel, in which one of the fighters appears defeated, disarmed and wounded in the leg.
The image was once interpreted as a kind of sign intended to attract customers with a particular interest in gladiatorial spectacles. More recent studies counsel caution: images of gladiators occur in many different contexts at Pompeii, and there is no proof that they necessarily advertised the business conducted inside.
The caupona stood in a busy stretch of Via dell’Abbondanza, where houses, shops, workshops and establishments serving food stood side by side.
The precise relationship between doorway 7 and the neighbouring House of the Chaste Lovers also remains under study. The two units were directly adjacent, but it cannot be stated with certainty that they belonged to the same property.
