House of Julia Felix
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Julia Felix, Felix a Roman cognomen meaning "The Fortunate One" was an epithet of the dictator L. Cornelius Sulla and his descendants in the Republican period. In the Imperial period it was a name involving luck as well as one of the most common cognomina and slave names.
Background
Julia Felix was a Roman woman who resided in the city of Pompeii. From her Roman cognomina it can be seen that her family were most likely freedmen. Julia Felix was a very wealthy property owner who inherited her money from her family. She owned a grand villa that took up an entire block in the city of Pompeii and it is documented by researchers as being well furnished and decorated until it was ruined in a terrible earthquake of 62 A.D. that caused much damage. After the earthquake, she came up with a brilliant idea. Instead of trying to pay for all the damages herself, she rented out her property to residents of Pompeii who may have lost their homes and transformed parts of her villa into public Roman baths, shops, taverns, and apartments. To promote the Roman baths, a complete listing of facilities and a boastful advertising statement about quality was included, and in the villa of Julia Felix it was described as “good enough for Venus.” (Fowler) Renting out her villa helped her earn extra income and establish herself as a property owner, business woman, and public figure in Pompeii.
