I triclini di Moregine

Triclinio B e Triclinio C
da Pompei, località Moregine, c. d. Edificio dei Triclini
IV stile, età neroniana, 64 d. C. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei

In the year 2000 some road works in a locality called Moregine close to Pompeii led to the accidental discovery of the remains of an architectural complex, whose decoration was finished shortly before the eruption of 79 AD.

The building, known as the “Triclinia building”, was expressly placed along the Sarno river: on the river bank was the main entrance, where a series of boardrooms led to a peristyle with a garden and a central pool. On three sides of the porch were placed three dining rooms, triclinia, all of them similar in their shape, dimensions and decorative scheme.

The architectural features, the luxury and the quality of the decoration of this complex suggest that these rooms might be identified as the diversoriae tabernae which were built for Nero as rest and enjoyment places while he was travelling along the coasts of Latium and Campania.

The presence of the emperor and his wife Poppea in Pompeii is attested by epigraphic sources. Nero’s political and propagandist program can be traced in the decorations of the middle zone of the walls, starting from the first triclinium (A — not on display), where the emperor is depicted as Apollo accompanied by the Muses, proceeding to the second (B — with a black background), where the scene is set in the temple of Venus, with the goddess showing up to her devotees together with a little girl, may be the dead and deified emperor’s daughter; all around are winged Geniuses, festoons and finely decorated architectural elements. The third room (C — with a red background) shows at its centre a river deity, probably the Sarno river, and it refers to the aim of Nero’s visit to Pompeii: the public reclamation and development of the river in order to re-launch Pompeii’s economy after the AD 62 earthquake. On the lateral walls two large winged Victories emphasize and celebrate the emperor’s policy and the grandeur of Rome. On the upper part of the wall is a white background section with characters from Tragedy and Comedy referring to Nero’s life episodes: the emperor used to sublime in theatre even the tragic events of the imperial court.

The lower part of each triclinium was occupied by masonry dining beds placed around the table.