While it’s known for its stunning villas, like the House of the Faun, and its tragic history thanks to Mount Vesuvius, there’s one place that always seems to catch people’s attention: the Lupanare—Pompeii’s most famous brothel.
The first time I went to Pompeii, going into the Lupanare was like stepping onto the poster child for the "behind the scenes" ancient world set. Instead of tippy-toeing around it as if it was some fragile artifact, the Lupanare was more of the Romans screaming, "Yep, we had brothels, and here's exactly how they worked!
What’s in a Name? The Meaning Behind “Lupanare”
Lupanare: In Latin, the word "lupa" means "she-wolf," a term used to refer to prostitutes in ancient Rome. The Lupanare wasn't just 'a' brothel; it was 'the' brothel-the most famous one in Pompeii. This wasn't some secretive back-alley operation. Oh no, it was a full-blown, purpose-built establishment to which people came and went, as they pleased.
As I stepped into the small stone building, it was hard to believe that this place was the center of so much activity back in its day. The building itself isn’t huge—it’s actually pretty cramped. But what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in history, and maybe a little bit of shock value.
Inside the Lupanare: A Day in the Life
The Lupanare was a two-story building with ten rooms: five downstairs and five upstairs. The rooms themselves are shockingly small. I’m talking tiny—barely big enough to fit a person, let alone anything resembling comfort. Each room had a stone bed, covered with some sort of mattress back in the day (though I’m guessing the Romans weren’t particularly worried about memory foam). If you’re picturing luxurious lounging quarters, think again. This was about efficiency, not comfort.
But here’s where things get really interesting. Above the doorways of many of the rooms are frescoes—paintings that acted as a kind of "menu." Yep, you read that right. The frescoes were, shall we say, pretty explicit, and they depicted various activities on offer, making it crystal clear what kind of services you could expect. It’s one of those moments where you have to remind yourself that the Romans were a lot more frank about these things than we tend to be. Imagine walking into a spa and instead of being handed a menu of massages, you’re greeted by full-color depictions of each treatment.
I stood there, trying to keep a straight face, thinking of the clients who passed through here. The Lupanare wasn't for the wealthy-this was more of a working-class establishment. Sailors, traders, and travelers stopping through Pompeii would find their way here. It was a quick stop for entertainment before heading back to their ships or shops. Prostitution was not solely a high-status profession, but it was considered a normal part of Roman life.
The Women of the Lupanare
The women who worked here? Well, their stories are more complicated. Most of the prostitutes, or lupae, were slaves, often from foreign lands. They didn’t have a choice in their profession, and life in the Lupanare wasn’t glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. These women lived in the brothel and spent their days in those small, dark rooms, attending to customers who paid with Roman coins called asses. Yeah, that’s right—they got paid in asses. You can’t make this stuff up.
My guide pointed out some graffiti scratched into the walls of the Lupanare, and that’s where things got even more personal. Romans loved leaving little messages wherever they went, and the Lupanare was no exception. Some of it was just what you’d expect—think of it as the ancient equivalent of “I was here” scribbled on a bathroom stall. But some of the graffiti revealed more personal details, like which prostitutes were favored by customers, or crude jokes about the services offered. It was a strange mix of humor and sadness, knowing that for some of the women here, these were the only records of their lives.
The Business of Pleasure: How the Lupanare Worked
So how did this place actually run? The Lupanare was well-organized, almost like an ancient fast-food joint—except with a different kind of menu. Customers would come in, make their selection based on the frescoes, and head into one of the small rooms. The women worked long hours, and the turnover of clients was pretty high.
But the Lupanare was not only about sex. It was part of the greater Roman economy. Pompeii was a port town, and trade was humming. That means sailors and traders were coming through town at all times looking for a little distraction. The brothel provided just that, it was one of many businesses that kept Pompeii's economy ticking.
And it gets even more practical here. This brothel wasn't just a separate building tucked away; it was right in the heart of the city, near the Forum and other busy parts of the town. The Romans did have a tendency not to act as though this were something shady and secretive; rather, it was open, a part of everyday life. You walk down the street to go to the market to buy bread and pass the brothel on your way. That was Pompeii.
The Lupanare and Vesuvius
Of course, just like everything else in Pompeii, the Lupanare met its end when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. As I stood in one of the small rooms, I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like in those final moments. The people of Pompeii had no idea what was coming, and by the time the ash started to fall, it was too late. The brothel, along with the rest of the city, was buried under layers of ash, preserving it almost perfectly for us to find nearly 2,000 years later.
When the archaeologists found the Lupanare in the 19th century, it was more or less exactly as it had been that fateful day. The frescoes were still there, and so were the stone beds, even the graffiti, frozen in time like a snapshot of a whole world.
Why the Lupanare is So Fascinating
Lupanare is something more than a brothel; it's a humane side of Pompeii. And it also does not take much to get caught up into the grand villas, and even the tragic story of destruction of the city, but places like the Lupanare do remind us that Pompeii was a real place with real people living real lives. In so many respects, the Romans were little different from ourselves, and the Lupanare shows us a side of their world that’s raw, unfiltered, and incredibly human.
So if you ever get to wander through the ruins of Pompeii, take a detour to the Lupanare. It's not as glamorous compared to the House of the Faun, but it's an eyeopening look at a side of Roman life often passed over. And who knows? Maybe you will smile, as I did, at the cheeky graffiti and frescoes, recognizing that even 2,000 years ago, people were not all that different from us today.
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