The Roman Villa
“Man who lives in the city longs for the informality of country living, the
healthfulness of the air, the opportunity for exercise, especially hunting and fishing in a place which offers undisturbed intellectual and
creative activities, leisurely conversation with friends and the
delights of contemplating the natural and cultivated landscape in different
seasons and conditions.”-Virgil, 70 BCE – 19 BCE
Villa Poppaea, between Naples and Sorrento
The Roman home, or domus, is both
similar and yet strikingly different
to our houses today.
First, the houses came right up to the
sidewalk with no lawn.
Second, windows were few, small, and
placed fairly high. They never had
doors but curtains to cover doorways.
Third, houses were usually one story high – sometimes with rare second
floors.
The main entrance would face the street. There were typically shops, tabernae, that sit on either
side of this entrance hall or faucēs. They were often operated or rented by the domus occupant.
After passing through the ianua, you would enter into
the atrium, which was typically the most impressive
room used for family occasions and receiving
visitors. In the center, the roof would slope down into a large square opening known as the compluvium. Air and light would stream into the room.
Any water would collect into a shallow impluvium.
What else would you find in the atrium?-lararium-portraits, statues, bronze lampshades, marble tables
The bedrooms, cubiculum, were often found to the
right and left of the atrium. The Romans did not sleep in beds but on
couches.
Straight ahead of the atrium would be the
tablinum. The triclinium would be the side of the office. Narrow hallways
would run parallel to this study and would lead into
the second half of the house.
Continuing through the hallway would lead you to the peristylium, which
was made up of a colonnade of pillars
surrounding an open-air hortus. Surrounding this
part of the house would be the culina, the summer triclinium, the latrina, servants’ quarters, and
storage rooms.
Rich v. Poor
Not all Romans lived in the country-longing domus – the typical town houses we see frequently were for the wealthy.
The poor, however, lived in apartments known as insulae or “islands”. They were multiple level apartment buildings that often were comprised of one or two rooms per family and had very little amenities.
A mosaic. a tablinum
A fishpond.