The House of Siricus was created in the 1st century BC by joining two originally independent dwellings, one entered from Via Stabiana and the other from Vicolo del Lupanare.
At the time of the eruption in AD 79, much of the house was undergoing a major decorative renovation. Among the rooms already completed was a large exedra used for banquets, with a floor of costly marble slabs and mythological paintings inspired in part by the Trojan War.
The owner is identified as Publius Vedius Siricus on the basis of a bronze seal bearing his name. Siricus belonged to the city’s political and commercial elite.
At the entrance to the house, a striking mosaic inscription greeted visitors with the words SALVE LUCRU, which may be translated as “Welcome, profit!”—a formula particularly well suited to the owner’s social standing and commercial interests.
