©MarinaDeFranceschini - Progetto Accademia
38 - WORKSHOP OF THE ARTISANS Description
This small building is located at the foot of the Praetorium Substructures, between it and the Great Baths.
It has eight quadrangular rooms separated by a central corridor onto which a multi-seat latrine opens.
Nothing is known about the pavement because it is buried, and there are no detailed excavation reports: the building was excavated in 1969-1969.
On the walls there are two different layers of frescoes with simple geometric decorations in shades of white and red, indicating two different decorative phases.
Frescoes in a room of the Workshop of the Artisans
Function and meaning
The secluded position between the Great Baths and the Praetorium Substructures and the multi-seater latrine prove that the building belonged to the servants' quarters of the Villa.
Here were found many scraps of marble, which were the leftover of opus sectile marble tiles or tesserae for the mosaics. This is why this building is believed to be a workshop for the craftsmen of the Villa.
Furthermore, a marble model depicting a stadium was found, which is presumed to have been a project for the Villa.
SEE: Marina De Franceschini, Villa Adriana - Mosaici, pavimenti, edifici. Roma 1991, p. 536
Salza Prina Ricotti 1997, pp. 107-153; Salza Prina Ricotti 1982 p. 39-40.