Roman Housing Flashcards
What was an Insula?
they were apartment blocks in rome
What was each apartment block in an Insula called?
a Cenacula
At roman’s peak how many people lived in Insula’s?
One million
What do most literary sources suggest about conditions inside of the insulae?
That they were cramped, dirty and dangerous
What was the most common form of accommodation in Rome?
the Insula
What were Insulae built from?
flammable materials such as wood, mud, brick or concrete
How tall were roman Insulae?
they ranged from 3 to 5 stories high but some sources describe 7 story insulae
How was access given to upper floors?
through internal and outer staircases
What where rooms made from?
wooden beams covered with flat terracotta tiles
What were ground floor rooms converted into in an insula?
shops
What level did a shop often have?
a mezzanine level for storage
What did Cicero say about the insula he rented out?
even mice refused to live there
Who would often rent out insula?
wealthy romans
What were the dimensions of the Insula of Diana of Ostia?
23m high
39m wide
4 stories high
What wall of the Insula of Diana of Ostia faced the main street?
south and west wall
Why was the Insula of Diana of Ostia named that?
a relief of her image is found on the Insula
What are some of the features of the Insula of Diana of Ostia? (list 3)
-roofless court wards to let light into the building
-cistern to collect rainwater (water supply)
-communal living rooms
-brick faced concrete
-glazed windows
-shared toilet facilities
-walls painted in yellow
What is the Latin word for shops?
Tabernae
What is the Latin word for Bedrooms?
Cubiculum
What is the latin word for Kitchen?
Culina
What is the latin word for office?
Tablinum
What is the latin word for dining room?
Triclinium
What was the hole in the roof of a domus called?
Compluvium
What was the well like structure used to catch rain water in a domus?
impluvium
What is the latin word for entrance ?
fouces
What were the front room of a Domus usually turned into?
shops
Where would the entry passage/fouces lead to?
the atrium
How was the fouces in a domus usually decorated?
elaborately with signs and mosaics to welcome the visitor and impress them.
What was the atrium?
the front room in a Roman Domus, was the most important room and was designed to impress visitors
How is an atrium designed?
it had a compluvium and Impluvium along with frescos and reliefs on the walls to impress visitors
Where is the House of Wooden Partition?
It is Herculaneum
When was the House of Wooden Partition buried?
79AD in the eruption
Why is the House of Wooden Partition named this?
there was a wooden partition to separate the tablinum and the Atrium .
What was the atrium in the House of Wooden Partition decorated with?
red, black and yellow panels and it had a marble display table in front of the marble lines impluvium
What is the significance of the House of Wooden Partition?
a well preserved roman domus
What was the method of building used for insulas called?
opus craticium
Where is the House of Menander?
Pompeii
What is the house of Menander’s significance?
one of the largest houses in Pompeii
Where did the house of Menander get its name from?
the house takes its name from a wall painting of the Greek comic play wright Menander
What made the house of Menander impressive (list 4)
-atrium contained an elaborate household shrine
-it had its own private baths
-had a large farming estate
-had a cellar filled with silver vessels
-multiple atriums
What paintings/decorations were found in the house of Menander?
-scene from the Trojan War, including the arrival of the wooden horse at Troy in one of them
- floor mosaic depicting scenes from the river Nile
Where is the house of Octavius Quartio?
pompeii
What was the significance of the House of Octavius Quartio?
the focus of this domus is its magnificent garden and water
features rather than its atrium
Where did the House of Octavius Quartio get it’s name from?
the house is named after Octavius Quartio, whose signet ring was
found there.
What made the house of Octavius Quartio impressive?
-its impluvium had a fountain jet and was surrounded by flower boxes
-it had a pergola
-it had a canal running through its garden
What painting/decorations where found in the House of Octavius Quartio? (list two)
-painting of the myth of Diana and Actaeon
-scenes of the life of Hercules
- scenes of the trojan war
-painting of the myth of narcissus
-shrine dedicated to Diana and Actaeon
What is a pergola?
an arched structure in a garden or park consisting of a framework covered with trailing plants.
What did Juneval say about insula’s?
that they were poorly constructed and they often collapsed.
