ROMAN ARCHITECTURE TYPOLOGIES

HOUSE,VILLA,APARTMENTS

SUBMITTED BY:ASHISH U G
2BL16AT006
• The Romans lived in a wide variety of homes depending on whether they were wealthy
or poor
• The poor lived in cramped apartments in the cities or in small shacks in the country.
• The rich lived in private homes in the city or large villas in the country.

• Homes in the City Most people in the cities of Ancient Rome lived in apartments
called INSULAE

• The wealthy lived in single family homes called DOMUS of various sizes depending
on how rich they were
• A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class
INSULA

An insula dating from the early 2nd

century A.D. in the Roman port town of
Ostia Antica
• The vast majority of the people living in Roman cities lived in
cramped apartment buildings called insulae.
• Insulae were generally three to five stories high and housed
from 30 to 50 people.
• The individual apartments usually consisted of two small
rooms.
• The bottom floor of the insulae often housed shops and
stores that opened out to the streets.
• The larger apartments were also near the bottom with the
smallest at the top.
• Many insulae were not constructed very well. They could be
dangerous places if they caught fire and sometimes even
collapsed
• A single insula could accommodate over 40 people in only
3,600 sq ft; however, the entire structure usually had about 6
to 7 apartments, each had about 1000 sq ft.
• The lower class Romans - plebeians - lived in apartment houses,
called flats, above or behind their shops. Even fairly well-to-do
tradesmen might chose to live in an apartment-building compound
over their store, with maybe renters on the upper stories. Their
own apartments might be quite roomy, sanitary and pleasant,
occasionally with running water. But others were not that nice.

• In the apartment houses an entire family (grandparents, parents,

children) might all be crowded into one room, without running
water. They had to haul their water in from public facilities. Fire
was a very real threat because people were cooking meals in
crowded quarters, and many of the flats were made of wood. They
did not have toilets. They had to use public latrines (toilets).
DOMUS

Interior
• Private Homes The wealthy elite lived in large single
family homes called domus.
• These homes were much nicer than the insulae.
• Most Roman houses had similar features and rooms.
• There was an entryway that led to the main area of the
house called the atrium.
• Other rooms such as bedrooms, dining room, and
kitchen might be off to the sides of the atrium.
• Beyond the atrium was the office.
• In the back of the home was often an open garden
HERE ARE SOME OF THE ROOMS IN A TYPICAL ROMAN HOUSE

• VESTIBULUM - A grand entrance hall to the house. On

either side of the entrance hall might be rooms that housed
small shops opening out to the street.
• ATRIUM - An open room where guests were greeted. The
atrium typically had an open roof and a small pool that was
used to collect water.
• TABLINUM - The office or living room for the man of the
house.
• TRICLINIUM - The dining room. This was often the most
impressive and decorated room of the house in order to
impress guests that were dining over.
• CUBICULUM - The bedroom.
• CULINA - The kitchen
VILLA
• The wealthy lived in large expansive homes called villas.
• The Roman villa of a wealthy Roman family was often much larger and more
comfortable than their city home.
• They had multiple rooms including servants' quarters, courtyards, baths, pools,
storage rooms, exercise rooms, and gardens.
• They also had modern comforts such as indoor plumbing and heated floors.
• Interesting Facts About the Homes of Ancient Rome The word "INSULAE"
means "ISLANDS" in Latin.
• The entrance to a Roman house was called the ostium. It included the door
and the doorway.
• Fine Roman homes were built with stone, plaster, and brick.
• They had tiled roofs.
• A "VILLA UBANA" was a villa that was fairly close to Rome and could be
visited often.
• A "VILLA RUSTICA" was a villa that was a far distance from Rome and was
only visited seasonally.
• Wealthy Romans decorated their homes with murals, paintings, sculptures, and
tile mosaics.