Summary (English)
The House of Marcus Fabius Rufo is one of the most outstanding examples in Pompeii’s architectural panorama. The garden, covering 1.581 m2, is situated west of the house, up against the town wall built in Sarno limestone opus quadratum.
Prior to the excavation, geo-electric and geo-magnetic surveys were carried out by the Department of Earth Sciences at the “Federico II” University of Naples.
During the course of the seven excavation campaigns undertaken to date, 13 trenches (5 × 5 m) have been opened in the garden area. This work has shed new light on the use of the outside area of the largest house in Pompeii, contributing to the picture of urbanisation and exploitation of the suburbium in the period between the 3rd century B.C. and the eruption in 79 A.D.
In recent years, the excavation has aroused considerable interest due to the presence of a Hellenistic sanctuary, of which outstanding architectural elements and ceramic furnishings have been found, all datable to between the 3rd and 1st centuries B.C. During the last season, investigation continued of the construction phases and phases of use of a series of cisterns, of which five opus signinum tanks remain, preserved in the SG 3A-D-F-G-H, datable to the 1st century B.C. The discovery of this system for water capture relating to a row of houses in the II Pompeian style along the town wall, appears to be a new feature and fundamental for an overall reinterpretation of Pompeian town planning in the period following the foundation of the new Colonia Cornelia Pompeianorum .
The cisterns were razed during the Julio-Claudian period when a new tufa portico was built. Subsequently, during the final occupation phase, between 62 and 79 A.D., the external area was reused as a garden for dumping the materials produced by the restoration work on the house following the earthquake in 62 A.D.
- Mario Grimaldi - Centro Internazionale per gli Studi Pompeiani, Università degli Studi "Suor Orsola Benincasa" 
- A. Russo 
Director
- Umberto Pappalardo - Università degli Studi "Suor Orsola Benincasa" di Napoli
Team
- Alessandro Russo - Università IULM di Milano
Research Body
- Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa
Funding Body
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