Washing vats

The fullonica of Stephanus was a laundry where manufactured cloth was finished. The fullonica of Stephanus was one of the four large laundries in Pompeii and it was a converted house.

The fulling industry was an important industry in Pompeii and its guildhall, the building of the Eumachia, was situated in a prominent place in the forum. Fulling consisted of cleaning raw wool or cloth in vats of urine, soda and fuller's earth. The workers trod the cloth in this mixture to clean it. It was then rinsed in a series of other vats and hung to dry. The cloth was combed, brushed and trimmed and white cloth was bleached by laying it on a cage over burning sulphur and brimstone. The final process was the pressing of the cloth and this was done in a press at the entrance of the fullonica of Stephanus.

This picture shows the washing vats which are situated at the back of the laundry. These three washing vats were interlinked and the water overflowed from one vat to the other. To the left of the three washing vats were treading bowls which were filled with urine, soda, and fuller's earth. The cloth was first trodden and then washed in the washing vats.