North Wall

Thomas Staub

N wall: width 3.35 m, max. preserved height 4.30 m. The door towards ala 14 is 0.80 m wide and 1.90 m high. The eastern doorframe consists of the Sarno stone blocks of the opening between atrium 4 and ala 14; see description of atrium 4, west wall. The western frame consists of smaller blocks (max. 0.15 x 0.15 m) of Sarno stone, lava, cruma and tuff, partly covered by modern concrete. The western part of the wall is, up to a height of 1.65 m (at corner of door towards ala 14) until a max. height of 3.40 m (north-west corner), covered with plaster. In the lower parts, the fine plaster has fallen off in parts, revealing the base layer in which more or less regular cracks are visible. The ornamented cocciopesto floor continues under the plaster. The area above the modern lintel over the door to ala 14 consists of modern reconstructions in two phases, the lower one directly above the lintel marked by a line in the concrete. To the west of that area, above the plaster, the central part of the wall (between 1.70 - 3.10 m, at its eastern side and continuing in a narrow stripe (ca. width 0.20 m), up to the top of the wall) consists of a mix of pieces and small blocks (max. 0.30 x 0.20 m) of Sarno stone, tuff, cruma, lava and spoils of plaster, set into a greyish mortar. It has been reinforced in parts with modern concrete. The remaining parts of the wall consists, where visible, of lava-incertum (up to a height of 2.00 m), followed by a zone of mixed lava-and cruma-incertum (up to a height of 2.60 m), and, above this, of cruma-incertum, all set into the usual reddish mortar.