The House of the Centaur occupies the central part of Insula 9 in Regio VI. Its complex structure resulted from the gradual amalgamation of at least three separate dwellings; an additional independent residence probably existed on the upper floor.
The nucleus entered through doorway 3 was arranged around a Tuscan atrium. Some rooms preserved First Style decoration and cement-based floors, evidence of the house’s earliest phases. Another section, originally entered through doorway 5, instead included a peristyle and rooms used for private life and banqueting.
The domus’s long architectural history can be traced through its differing masonry techniques, floors and decoration. Its documented paintings included important mythological scenes, some of which are now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
