Image Details

Giovanni Lattanzi

The likeliest candidate for a brothel in the entire Roman world is a cramped two-story building called the Lupanar, in Pompeii. The Lupanar’s first-floor hallway (shown in the photo) is decorated with colorful frescoes with erotic scenes; the two panels visible at the end of the hallway depict couples making love on luxurious beds with round pillows and colorful bedspreads.

The frescoes shown on in following images, though not visible in this photo, are located on the wall to the left. An image of the god Priapus with two phalluses, also not visible in this photo, is located on the wall to the right.