Roman Housing

Types of Homes

• Wealthy Individuals
  • Lived in private homes in the city (domus) or large villas in the country.
  • Homes had various sizes depending on wealth.
• Poor Individuals
  • Lived in cramped apartments in cities or small shacks in the countryside.

Urban Housing

• Insulae

  • Apartment buildings where most city dwellers lived.
  • Typically 3 to 5 stories high, housing 30 to 50 people.
  • Ground floors often had shops and stores.
  • Larger apartments at the bottom; smaller ones at the top.
  • Poorly constructed, prone to fires and collapse.

• Domus

  • Single-family homes for the wealthy elite.
  • Includes entryway (ostium) leading to an atrium.
  • Bedrooms, dining rooms, and kitchens located off the atrium.
  • Office space beyond the atrium; gardens often at the back.

Rural Housing

• Villas
  • Large, expansive homes for wealthy families.
  • Often larger and more comfortable than city homes.
  • Included multiple rooms, servants' quarters, courtyards, baths, pools, storage, exercise rooms, and gardens.
  • Featured modern comforts like indoor plumbing and heated floors.
  • Types:
    • Villa urbana: Close to Rome, visited often.
    • Villa rustica: Far from Rome, visited seasonally.

Construction and Decoration

• Fine homes built with stone, plaster, and brick; topped with tiled roofs.
• Wealthy homes decorated with murals, paintings, sculptures, and tile mosaics.

Terminology

• "Insulae" means "islands" in Latin.
• Entrance to a Roman house was called the "ostium."