House of the Ceii, Pompei

The House of the Ceii is a compact but fascinating residence in Pompeii, located opposite the House of Menander. Its name comes from a political slogan painted on the façade in support of L. Ceius Secundus, a local politician who may have owned the property. Although smaller than many of Pompeii’s grander homes, it offers a vivid look at the taste and ambitions of a prosperous household before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The house preserves several fine Third Style wall paintings. In the triclinium, a fresco shows Bacchus offering wine to a tiger, while a cubiculum beside the garden includes lively depictions of satyrs and maenads. Its compact rooms also contain notable geometric mosaic floors.

The walled garden is the house’s main highlight. Its three walls are covered with large Egyptian-themed landscapes filled with animals associated with Africa, including wild boars, lions, tigers, a hippopotamus, and a crocodile. Another interesting feature is the staircase leading to an upper floor, believed to have been under construction when Vesuvius erupted. Since Pompeii’s upper storeys were destroyed, such staircases are important clues to how the city’s houses once rose above ground level.