The House of the Labyrinth is one of the largest and most prestigious residences in Regio VI, occupying almost the entire southern side of Insula 11.
Construction of the great house began in the first half of the 2nd century BC, when Samnite aristocratic families were building monumental residences in this part of Pompeii. The property has been tentatively associated with the powerful Sextilii family.
Over approximately three centuries, the complex was repeatedly enlarged and altered. New reception and service rooms were added, together with a small bath suite, a bakery and upper-storey structures. The house was also damaged during the Roman siege of Pompeii in 89 BC.
By AD 79, the residence had two atria. One was especially monumental, with four tall Corinthian columns, although the most prestigious part of the house centred on the large peristyle and its important reception rooms.
One of these rooms preserves the celebrated mosaic of Theseus confronting the Minotaur, set within the intricate labyrinth design that gave the house its modern name.
Its combination of monumental architecture, paintings, mosaics and reception rooms makes the House of the Labyrinth one of the most important sources for the culture of Pompeii’s elite from the Samnite to the Roman period.
