General Overview
It is assumed that the size of a house was relative and representative of an individual's or a family's wealth. This is due not only to the size of the building, but also the materials used to build it, the elaborate designs and decorations and the technology included within the house. This is indicitive of the wealth of the resident/s due to the time, effort and cost that went into the process of construction. This, along with written sources found onsite such as inscriptions, give us insight into the lives that they may have lead and their status in the town.
Water Supply, Latrines and gardens
In Pompeii, there are surviving examples of water distribution throughout the town. Water brought in through aqueducts would flow into a large tank, which was contained within a structure called a castellum. The main pipes would then go into a second castella and from there would distribute the water through a smaller network of pipes to individual customers. (castellum pictured left- 12 to 14 of these were identified in Pompeii.) This could include public baths and water fountains, but also of course, private houses. The piped water in houses was used not only fordomestic purposes such as cooking and cleaning, but was also, in houses of a higher status, for latrines, and in rarer cases, private baths. This would have been seen as a symbol of wealth and status since there has not been much
evidence of it being an extremely common practice to have a private bath. There is evidence of a single castellum being used between a few smaller households. The tank would be located in the upper floor of one apartment, and pipes would then branch off to neighbouring houses. This suggests that piped water was a privilege not cheap enough to be enjoyed by all, and that some then took the initiative to split the costs.
There were two common types of latrines apart from chamber pots: the flush toilet and the niche toilet (diagrams of both can be seen below). They would dispose of bodily waste into a sewer or cesspit, and would often have a lid fitted over the top when not in use to keep the flies out and the smell in. Both were proof of the understanding that was held of both hygiene and engineering. Diagrams of both are seen here. This then allows us to see that the Romans were highly educated and understood the spread of disease was aided by improper disposal of faeces and other waste.
The‘typical’ Roman house would contain the features seen in the
following table. There are no truly typical houses however, as no two houses are
completely the same. Houses in similar statuses share similar features, but the
combination and number of these features vary greatly. This can be due to the
age of the site, the style or purpose, the socioeconomic status of the residents
and also their culture. It is evident from the remains of the buildings that all
of these factors can vary greatly. However, most of the houses within the
town face inwards on themselves. This is seen through the small, or no, windows
on the street side of the houses, most archaeologists agree to increase the
small amount of privacy that can be attained in such cramped quarters. If there
was an atrium or peristyle, this would then be the area sought out if time was
sought outside away from the street. Many of the grand features of homes were possibly in imitation of villas.
The Peristyle was an important part of their everyday life due to the garden that it held. The area would have been
naturally cooler due to the vegetation in the area and often a water feature
would have also contributed to the decrease in temperature. When the climate of
the Campania region is taken into account, it can then be concluded that this is
where the families would have spent most of their time, or if they did not have
a peristyle, the atrium since that also included a complivium and impluvium.
Casts of the voids left in the soil, by biodegraded plants, made by Dr Wilhemina
Jashemski along with her soil and pollen analysis have allowed us to gain a
better understanding of what types of plants they would have kept and thus have a
better idea of the time and effort the put into and spent in their gardens.“The
Romans loved the aesthetic value of gardens,” Jashemski can be quoted as saying.
“Even in the most inelegant, one-room houses, half of the space would be devoted
to a garden.” Historians have interpreted that not only did meals and leisure
time take place in the garden, so did visitors of high esteem and business
meetings and transactions. In certain gardens, niche toilets can be found, and
it has been debated that families might even sleep in the area due the natural
‘air conditioning’. Essentially, the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum can be
described as having ‘lived’ in their gardens.
There was not a single purpose for each room. Any room could be the kitchen, and matresses would be moved into whichever room suited the climate better at any point in time. Dr Brian Brennan has stated that each room could serve many purposes, and a single house could be occupied by several groups of people. This could include multiple families, or in wealthy housholds, the family and then also any staff they employed such as slaves or a porter.
evidence of it being an extremely common practice to have a private bath. There is evidence of a single castellum being used between a few smaller households. The tank would be located in the upper floor of one apartment, and pipes would then branch off to neighbouring houses. This suggests that piped water was a privilege not cheap enough to be enjoyed by all, and that some then took the initiative to split the costs.
There were two common types of latrines apart from chamber pots: the flush toilet and the niche toilet (diagrams of both can be seen below). They would dispose of bodily waste into a sewer or cesspit, and would often have a lid fitted over the top when not in use to keep the flies out and the smell in. Both were proof of the understanding that was held of both hygiene and engineering. Diagrams of both are seen here. This then allows us to see that the Romans were highly educated and understood the spread of disease was aided by improper disposal of faeces and other waste.
The‘typical’ Roman house would contain the features seen in the
following table. There are no truly typical houses however, as no two houses are
completely the same. Houses in similar statuses share similar features, but the
combination and number of these features vary greatly. This can be due to the
age of the site, the style or purpose, the socioeconomic status of the residents
and also their culture. It is evident from the remains of the buildings that all
of these factors can vary greatly. However, most of the houses within the
town face inwards on themselves. This is seen through the small, or no, windows
on the street side of the houses, most archaeologists agree to increase the
small amount of privacy that can be attained in such cramped quarters. If there
was an atrium or peristyle, this would then be the area sought out if time was
sought outside away from the street. Many of the grand features of homes were possibly in imitation of villas.
The Peristyle was an important part of their everyday life due to the garden that it held. The area would have been
naturally cooler due to the vegetation in the area and often a water feature
would have also contributed to the decrease in temperature. When the climate of
the Campania region is taken into account, it can then be concluded that this is
where the families would have spent most of their time, or if they did not have
a peristyle, the atrium since that also included a complivium and impluvium.
Casts of the voids left in the soil, by biodegraded plants, made by Dr Wilhemina
Jashemski along with her soil and pollen analysis have allowed us to gain a
better understanding of what types of plants they would have kept and thus have a
better idea of the time and effort the put into and spent in their gardens.“The
Romans loved the aesthetic value of gardens,” Jashemski can be quoted as saying.
“Even in the most inelegant, one-room houses, half of the space would be devoted
to a garden.” Historians have interpreted that not only did meals and leisure
time take place in the garden, so did visitors of high esteem and business
meetings and transactions. In certain gardens, niche toilets can be found, and
it has been debated that families might even sleep in the area due the natural
‘air conditioning’. Essentially, the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum can be
described as having ‘lived’ in their gardens.
There was not a single purpose for each room. Any room could be the kitchen, and matresses would be moved into whichever room suited the climate better at any point in time. Dr Brian Brennan has stated that each room could serve many purposes, and a single house could be occupied by several groups of people. This could include multiple families, or in wealthy housholds, the family and then also any staff they employed such as slaves or a porter.
Religion
Unlike the public nature of most life in Pompeii and Herculaneum, larariums were the private aspect of their religion. It would usually be located in the atrium, and was a shrine for the household gods or lares. This would be run by the paterfamilias, which would usually be the father of the household but could also be any male who had the control over the familia. The lares were seen as the protectors of the houshold. Sacrifices and prayers would be made tho the lares.
Villas
Villas were more common in Herculaneum than Pompeii, from what has been excavated so far, since it was not quite so densely populated. However, even though these tended to be somewhat larger than most houses, they were not purely for leisure. Artefacts found in the sites provide evidence that many of them were for farming or labour. Wine presses, amphorae, tools and other evidence for trade have been found, as well as the analysis of the soil showing that many were in fact vineyards. However, many villas shared several features with luxury houses, including the atrium, peristyle, private baths and elaborate decorations. Some might even have a swimming pool. Unlike houses, which tended to look inwards, villas would usually look outwards at the surrounding view.
Website Created by Kathleen Kerr 2012