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Collezione Ercolano
The House of Argo
Herculaneum was located on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius and was buried by 30 meters of lava, ash, and mud in the eruption of AD 79. Excavations began in the 1700s and are still ongoing. The carbonization process has allowed for the discovery of intact structures of houses and objects, offering a valuable testimony of daily life in ancient Rome.
The House of Argo, dating back to Roman times, was discovered only in 1820. It is a typical example of a noble Roman private house with a porticoed garden, a triclinium (dining room), and a peristyle on three sides with stuccoed columns.
Facts & Trivia
It was found in excellent condition and also had an upper floor where terracotta jars with supplies of oil, almonds, and ready-to-bake bread were found. The house was named after a fresco of Argo watching over the nymph Io.
Zeus was in love with the nymph Io, who had been transformed into a heifer. But Hera, suspicious, assigned Argo, with his hundred eyes, to watch over this heifer. Zeus then tasked Hermes with putting Argo to sleep with his music. Hermes was successful in getting him to close all one hundred eyes, thus freeing the nymph Io.
