Porticus Pompeianae

The porticoes of Pompey (porticus Pompeianae: Vitr., De arch. 5.9.1; cf. Prop. 2.32.11: Pompeia ... porticus) were directly behind the stage building of the *Theatrum Pompeium, which was dedicated in 55 B.C. The Severan Marble Plan (Rodríguez Almeida, Forma pl. 32, frags. 37, 39) provides the general ground-plan: on the N and S were roofed porticoes, behind which stood the *Hecatostylum on the N, and shops on the S; on the E stood a roofed portico, with the *Curia Pompei in the center and a slightly smaller square structure to its S, also protruding into the *“Area Sacra” of Largo Argentina; on the W stood the stage-building (scaenae frons) of Pompey’s Theater. Our map offers a new plan of Pompey’s portico, based on a simplified rendering of the Marble Plan (s.v. *Dona Pompei): the quadriportico included niches on the N, S and E flanks (not shown, since roofed), and exedrae on the W (shown, since they projected into the central area of the portico). The shops to the S are omitted on our map, since they are only partially shown on the Marble Plan. In the central area of the quadriportico (180 x 135 m), the Marble Plan shows two long, parallel rectangles with a series of closely-packed small squares along their outer edges, represented on our map by two rectangles which approximate the dimensions and position on the Marble Plan. The communis opinio (Gros; Coarelli 574; Gleason 14) holds that these rectangular markings represent the ‘double grove’ of Martial (2.14.10), planted with parallel lines of plane trees (Prop. 2.32.13); indeed, shade is often mentioned as a defining feature of the portico (Prop. 2.32.12, 4.8.75; Ov., Ars am. 1.67, 3.387; Mart. 11.47.3). The small squares may be interpreted (following Prop. 2.32.14-16) as fountain statues (Coarelli 574) or display posts (Gleason 19). These two garden areas are shown with horti shading. The Marble Plan shows an arch at the W end of the portico, at a focal point on the central axis of the theater-portico complex; this may be the honorific arch on which Augustus placed the statue of Pompey that originally stood in the Curia (Suet., Aug. 31.5; Gleason 21).