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The House of Severus, in Regio VIII on Via della Regina, is one of the large residences built along Pompeii’s southern edge. The complex corresponds to civic numbers VIII.2.29–30 and was created by joining two originally separate houses, still recognisable in the presence of two atria with impluvia. Its total area has been estimated at about 1,400 square metres, making it one of the largest residences in this part of the city.
Its position on the southern edge of the plateau allowed the house to extend across several levels, exploiting the steep slope towards the former city walls. A staircase in the sector corresponding to civic number 29 led to the lower floors, while the rear rooms opened onto large terraces that once commanded broad views over the plain, the mountains and the sea.
The lower levels contained additional living quarters and open spaces. In the eastern part of the house, a portico preceded a small garden with a pool, built beyond the former line of the walls on supporting structures set into the lava bedrock. This terraced arrangement is characteristic of the great houses of the Insula Meridionalis, which transformed the old fortifications into dramatic panoramic residences.
The house also had rich floor and wall decoration. Recent studies mention, among other features, a triclinium painted with geometric motifs on a yellow ground, as well as floors with stone inlays. The façade displayed an unusual opus reticulatum made from materials of different colours, creating geometric patterns in the masonry before plaster was later applied.
The complex was explored in several phases between the 18th and 20th centuries, with important work in 1883 and 1928. The 19th-century investigations also showed that the two sectors at civic numbers 29 and 30 were connected by a few steps between their respective atria.