The House of the Faun is the largest and most lavish private house in Pompeii, covering 3,000 square metres — a full city block. It is named after the small bronze dancing faun statue found in its impluvium. The house is also where the famous Alexander Mosaic was discovered, now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
One entire city block of ancient Pompeii was occupied by a single private residence. The House of the Faun stretches across 3,000 square metres — two atria, two peristyle gardens, multiple dining rooms, a full domestic bath suite, and more rooms than most modern apartment buildings. This was not merely a wealthy man’s house; it was a declaration of aristocratic status that rivalled anything in Rome itself. Excavated between 1830 and 1832, it yielded some of the most important discoveries in the history of classical archaeology — including the Alexander Mosaic, the largest and most celebrated floor mosaic from the ancient world.
Top Tickets
# Entry Ticket with Audio Guide
# Guided Tour with an Archaeologist
# 2-Hour Small Group Tour
Table of Contents
The Dancing Faun
The house takes its name from the small bronze dancing faun statue — a satyr figure caught mid-step, arms slightly raised, one foot lifted — that stood at the centre of the front atrium’s impluvium (the shallow pool that collected rainwater). The statue is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples; the version you see in the house is a high-quality replica in the original position. The faun’s expression — joyful, uninhibited, pagan — is quite unlike the dignified portrait sculpture typical of Roman houses, which makes its prominent placement in the house’s most public room a deliberate and sophisticated statement.
The Alexander Mosaic
Where is the Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun? The original Alexander Mosaic is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (Museo Nazionale). The House of the Faun displays a high-quality replica in the original floor position in the exedra — the large ceremonial room between the two peristyle gardens.
Discovered in 1831, the Alexander Mosaic is 5.82 metres wide by 3.13 metres tall and contains approximately 1.5 million tesserae — tiny coloured tiles — some as small as 1 millimetre across. It depicts the Battle of Issus (333 BC), in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian king Darius III. Alexander charges from the left on his horse Bucephalus; Darius flees from the right in his chariot, turning back in anguish. The detail is extraordinary — individual strands of hair, reflections in a fallen soldier’s shield, the terror in the horse’s eyes.
The mosaic is believed to be a copy of a 4th-century BC Greek painting attributed to Philoxenus of Eretria or Apelles. It was positioned in the exedra — a large ceremonial room that opened onto the second peristyle garden — specifically to impress important guests with a display of the owner’s culture and wealth.
The House’s Layout
The House of the Faun is extraordinary not just for its size but for its architectural sophistication:
- Two atria: An unusually large double-atrium entrance complex — the Tuscan atrium for the family’s private use and the tetrastyle atrium for public business.
- Two peristyle gardens: The front peristyle, with its elegant colonnade, functioned as a formal garden. The rear peristyle was the largest private garden in Pompeii.
- The Exedra: The large ceremonial hall between the two gardens where the Alexander Mosaic was found — designed as a theatrical display space.
- Seven other mosaic floors: Throughout the house, high-quality mosaic floors depict fish, sea creatures, and mythological scenes — several of which are also in Naples.
Who Owned the House of the Faun?
The owner at the time of the 79 AD eruption is unknown. The house’s name given by excavators refers only to the faun statue. Earlier scholarship associated the house with the Cassia family based on an inscription found nearby, though this attribution is debated. What is certain is that the owner was among Pompeii’s wealthiest residents — possibly a senator or a member of the equestrian class with commercial interests across the Roman world.
Practical Visitor Information
How Long to Allow
Allow 20–30 minutes for the House of the Faun. On the full-day itinerary, you can take a full 25 minutes to walk both peristyle gardens, study the mosaic replica, and appreciate the overall scale of the property.
Is It Always Open?
The House of the Faun is generally accessible during site opening hours but may occasionally be closed for conservation. Check on arrival at the site. Book your entry ticket in advance to avoid gate queues.
National Archaeological Museum of Naples
To see the original Alexander Mosaic, the original dancing faun, and the other mosaics and frescoes from the house, visit the Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Napoli in Naples. This is highly recommended as a complement to the Pompeii visit — the best way to do both is a Naples-based day tour that includes both sites.
