Pompeii Residential Architecture

Revision as of 23:19, 28 February 2013

Most of the houses in Pompeii are single story but some late buildings were two stories. On the lower level it might be open to the street - may be a shop. On the top level there was a panoramic picture windows - vistas were very important - had a very greek influence The earliest residential building were from the Samnite period - some were substantial houses

Domas italica - ideal roman house plan - Vitruvius.

Facase Throat of the house the entrance Vestibulum - eaves over the door. There are two celli off the Facase. They could be shops (terverni), leased out. These leads to the Atrium (or meeting room). We think of houses as escapes from the real world. In Roman times it would be a place to do business - a very public part of the house. The implovium Pool is in the center of the atrium compluvium where rain water was caught

The cubiculum are the bedrooms of the house - very small dark places to sleep

The wings or alli of the house - The pace where they kept the wooden shrines of the ancestors - with wooden doors with pictures and other mementoes of the dead relatives. Include a look a like mask which a family member wold put on on days where they would remember them

Tablinum - master bedroom - where archives are kept - almost a passageway. The dining room the triclinium which is also off the atrium. The garden the hortis which was open to the sky. The geometrical. Very few windows. This is the case at the beginning but this changes over time.

The House of the Surgeon and House of Salis

3rd c BC Conforms to the ideal to the Domas Italica. One cell is closed and one open to the street for a shop. Atrium etc

In the House of the Salis was renovated when the Samnites were kicked out. It has a cell for one of the fast food stands

2nd C they start to resemble greek architecture - Hellenised Domas - Greek elements. Vestibulum vestibule. The cells are not opens ed up. The atrium bedroom wings and etc . The core is very much the same. But under the influence of greek the place greek columns and a garden which is more properly called peristyle. Then additional bedroom looking over the garden plus two additional dining rooms. Columns added to the front to show that this is a very cultured individual. But still stark and plain with few windows

e.g. House of the Vettii brothers.

http://students.villanova.edu/classicssocietyclub/House_of_the_Vettii_-_peristyle_and_garden.JPG

House of the Silver Wedding

Atrium has four columns in it. A banqueting hall. large opening to the peristyle garden. Oecus (principal hall) most important room in the house. They tried to stucco the columns to make them more greek (tetra style means four columns. Used Porphyry like painted wall

House of the Faun

. Very large - twice the size if the house of the Vettii. Follows the hellenized domas type. Two peristyle courts. One small am ne very large room. Has a famous moisaic of the Alexander the GreatCopy of the great painting - See Naples museum. Entrance way has a pilaster with the a corinthian capital. Painted with stone style painting. Implovium has a dancing faun statue

A restored version would look very bright and colorful with first style wall painting. It has two atria tetra style. Tufa stone made to look Greek

The House of Minander

Hellenized Domas 2c BC. House is more irregular and axiality is lost as this is an example where the house next to Minander was annexed. Bright Orange walls

House of Panza

Mnay celli shops open on the streets. The pool in this house was more likely for fish to be sold. Garden was used to grow garden produce. Lots of flute columns that are oplain art the boton

House of Marcus Aurelius tiba tenas

Took up an entire city block. The house doesnt take up most of the space. Instead most of the space is taken up with the garden. Much more emphasis in the garden and dining rooms A seconmd story was added to this building. The windows open out on to the compluvium. Greek Myths paintings incorporated in the grotto type

Villa of the Mysteries

As the city got more crowded the rich moved out to the peri[pheray of the city into villa such as the Villa of the Mysteries. This villa departs from the nromal design. In the Roman vila you walk in to the peristyle garden fiorst

Phase two of the villa - different order has a great podium like the has a barrel vaulted hidden passageway under the podiums. Makes it grander and muffle the sounds off the street. We are beginning to see that the exteriors are getting less severe - Elements project out of the rectangle of thge villa plan and are curved. Like a giant bay window, with view that can be see through the window and views of the sea. Blind arcades supporting the podium. No more slit windows

House of the Large Fountain

Has large fountain with mosaics