Pompeii and Herculaneum Architecture 1 Flashcards
What is the name for this type of home in Pompeii and Herculaneum which featured full visibility of the Atrium and Colannade through to the Tablininum?
A Domus Home or Atrium Home
What is the name of this water feature in the atrium of many homes at Pompeii and Herculaneum that collected rainwater?
Impluvium!
Which is the best definition for a compluvium?
A). A ‘pool’ in the atrium of Roman homes that collected rainwater.
B). The legal and administrative builidng located on the Forum of Pompeii.
C). A opening in the ceiling above the impluvium that allowed entry of light and air and the collection of rainwater.
D). One of the ‘four styles’ of frescoes at Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Answer = C- the opening above the impluvium that let in rain water for collection and allowed air and light into the home.
What was the function of this feature in Pompeii and Herculaneum known as the Castellum?
The Castellum was used as a bulk water storage and discribution site. Images of centurions to be found inside the Castellum at Pompeii also lead to speculation that the top may have been used as a watch tower.
Identify this building and its purpose.
The Amphitheatre at Pompeii was used as an outdoor arena for events such as gladiator games.
What is the Latin name used for bakeries in Pompeii and Herculanum?
- Pristrina = bakery*
- pistores= baker*
- molae = mill stones used to grind grain into flour*
- horreum= grain storage area*
What is this feature?
A cistern which was a drainage outlet found in some homes at Pompeii and Herculanum.
What was the cubiculum?
A cubiculum was a small room (usually upstairs) that functioned as a bedroom.
Who or what is a colannade?
A colannade is columned area also referred to as a peristyle.
What is a fresco?
Frescoes are the colourful artworks that decorated Roman homes. They have been classified into four main styles:
- First style - structural or masonry style where concrete was made to look like marble.
- Second style-architectural or illusionist styles that featured trompe’ l’eoil (trick of the eye) illusions and architectural features.
- Third style-extra ornate and colourful
- Fourth style- often described as baroque it was a more refined and complex version of the third style.
Is these frescoes examples of the the first or the second style of fresco in Pompeii and Herculaneum?
Second style
The Second style, architectural style, or ‘illusionism’ dominated the 1st century BC, where walls were decorated with architectural features and trompe l’oeil (trick of the eye) compositions. Early on, elements of this style are reminiscent of the First Style, but this slowly starts to be substituted element by element. This technique consists of highlighting elements to pass them off as three-dimensional realities - columns for example, dividing the wall-space into zones - and was a method widely used by the Romans.
It is characterized by use of relative perspective (not precise linear perspective because this style involves mathematical concepts and scientific proportions like that of the Renaissance) to create trompe l’oeil in wall paintings. The picture plane was pushed farther back into the wall by painted architectonic features such as Ionic columns or stage platforms. These wall paintings counteracted the claustrophobic nature of the small, windowless rooms of Roman houses.
Images and landscapes began to be introduced to the first style around 90 BC, and gained ground from 70 BC onwards, along with illusionistic and architectonic motives. Decoration had to give the greatest possible impression of depth. Imitations of images appeared, at first in the higher section, then (after 50 BC) in the background of landscapes which provided a stage for mythological stories, theatrical masks, or decorations.
First or second style of fresco?
First style!
Characterised by imitation of marbles and structural features such as columns with painting.
Which of these is the Third Style and Fourth Style of fresco?
A = Third Style
B= Fourth Style
Note though that each of these four styles are a continuum rather than a complete change (i.e. styles 2, 3 and 4 are progressions and developments from style 1 hence you can see examples of the techniques of the first style at the base of the fourth style). It should also be noted that these classifications are archaeologists labels and indicate changing fashions but not necessarily an instant change. See your text book for more details on these four styles.
What is this feature?
Examples of aqueducts used to bring water into Roman towns they worked on gravity and gradient.
What is the feature shown here?
Examples of a lararium which was a household shrine found in many of the homes of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Who or what were insulae?
Insuale- apartments or lodging houses (‘block of flats’).
These consisted of multi-storeyed apartments or tenements.
What is these all examples of?
Mosaics- artworks made in tiles- generally on the floor but sometimes in other features also such as fountains and ‘paintings’ on the wall.
Who or what was a Nymphaeum?
Nymphaeum
A room or area having a water fountain (sometimes decorative such as the example below from Herculaneum) and other times functional such as the many public water fountains connected to aqueducts in P & H (think of water nymphs to remember this).
Identify this feature and its function
Palestrae- an outdoor exercise area attached to gladiator barracks and thermae (public baths). Remember this term because it sounds like ‘play’. This example is next door to the large theatre at Pompeii and may have been used by gladiators for training OR it might have also been a training and rehearsal area for the actors of the the theatre next door.
Who or what was the tablinium?
Tablinium
The tablinium was the ‘office’ of the home usually on one side of the atrium and opposite the entrance. The tablinium was highly decorated with frescoes and the term in Latin means ‘picture board’, which is where the name of this room comes from.
The name ‘tablinium’ is related to the word tableaux (if you know your theatre terminology this means a still scene on stage where actors make a ‘picture’ and hold the scene).
Who or what was the triclinium?
Triclinium
A triclinium = (dining room). One example of a triclinium is in the Villa of the Mysteries which has frescoes showing scenes of Dionysian pleasures.
The triclinium would typically have 3 couches where diners would recline and was decorated with mosaics on the floor and frescoes on walls. Usually only wealthy people had a triclinium. Remember this with ‘tri’ (three) couches.
If you were an ancient resident of Pompeii or Herculaneum on your way to the thermae, what would you be going to do?
Have a hot bath at the thermae or public baths. This was an important social and leisure activity as well as a place to get clean. Large bath complexes had a separate mens and womens section, smaller ones had separate times for male and female bathers. Thermae are said to have been invented in the Campania region. First you would remove and store your clothes in the apodyterium. Then you might be rubbed with olive oil and your skin scraped by a slave to remove dirt (this was their ‘soap’), then you might enter the caldarium for a hot bath followed by the tepidarium for a warm bath and finally the frigidarium (cold room) to cool off.
If you were an ordinary resident of Pompeii or Herculaneum, where would you go to get a hot meal?
To the thermopolium! This was a hot food shop of which there were many at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Ordinary people did not have a kitchen in their home hence bought their meals from thermopolia.
Identify this structure and its purpose.
This is a hypocaust (under floor heating) at the thermae (public baths). This example is from the Stabian Baths at Pompeii. Slaves would keep a fire burning to heat the floors in the thermae.
