The stratigraphic excavation of the sidewalk/pavement in front of the western perimeter wall of domus VI, 5, 4, revealed several phases that were contemporary with those of the domus itself, datable to between the mid 2nd century B.C. and the 1st century A.D.

The sidewalk was built during the house’s first construction phase. The excavation showed that it was built by partially removing the underlying road surfaces, the remaining parts of the latter formed a raised edge to contain the make up for the new sidewalk, which was then covered with a beaten earth surface.

The investigation also provided the occasion for an interesting comparison between the western perimeter foundation trenches of two neighbouring houses, the VI, 5,4, and VI 5,5, which was excavated in Trench A. The diverse construction techniques used for the facades – lava opus incertum for domus VI, 5,4 and opus caementicium for the House of Grand Duke Michael (VI 5,5) – were reflected in the diverse types of foundation. The main differences were in the width (50 cm in the first case and between 20-30cm in the second) and in the number and composition of the layers of fill within the foundation trenches.

In the earliest levels a beaten road surface was found, which also appeared in Trench A, with relative make up, which predated both the making of the sidewalk and the construction of domus VI, 5, 4.