  By far the largest number of the books—probably all or nearly all the philosophical texts—were stored on shelves in a small room with no furniture for reading; some others were in one or two small cabinets in the tablinum, off the square peristyle, where books might be read; still others were in traveling boxes (capsae) in several areas of the villa, e.g., at the near end of the long peristyle. The philosophical library was perhaps one isolated, specialized collection, acquired by a collector who also acquired Philodemus’ own library. It was perhaps left behind because unused and unwanted, while other books were removed from the villa before the final catastrophe. The presence of copies of Philodemus’ works made after his death indicates a continuing interest in his philosophy, however. Recent excavation and investigation are thought to show that the villa was built in one major construction effort, and decorative elements there date it to around 40 BCE (see Guidobaldi and Esposito 2010), in which case it could hardly have served as Philodemus’ home and workplace, and certainly not in 55 BCE, when Cicero puts him in close association with Piso.