The House of Obellius Firmus is one of the largest and most complex residences in ancient Pompeii. Located in the northern part of Regio IX, its façade occupies the entire short side of the insula.
The house is organised around two atria and a large peristyle. The first, monumental atrium had Corinthian columns of tuff and rich furnishings that immediately conveyed the social standing of its occupants.
Among its most notable features were a marble table supported on lion’s paws, a fluted base designed to hold a statue of a satyr, and a basin connected to a fountain. A strongbox also survives at the side of the atrium; it was originally made of wood and faced with iron plate.
The second atrium, distinguished by Doric columns, was surrounded by residential and service rooms. At the rear lay the large garden peristyle, with further rooms arranged around it.
The original layout dates from the pre-Roman period and illustrates the high standard of living achieved by Pompeii’s leading families even before the foundation of the Roman colony.
The modern name comes from the Obellii, the family that occupied the house in Pompeii’s final phase and played a prominent role in local politics. It is not possible, however, to establish with certainty that the family owned the property from its earliest phases.
Recent archaeological research using laser scanning, photogrammetry and ground-penetrating radar has identified structures from earlier building phases beneath the floors and in the garden area.
The investigations indicate that the large garden visible in AD 79 had been enlarged by removing earlier rooms. Deeper still, archaeologists have detected structures predating the house’s first monumental phase; these may help reconstruct a different original layout for the whole of Insula 14.
The House of Obellius Firmus was uncovered in several excavation campaigns conducted in 1888, 1903 and 1910–1911.
