Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

DOMUS.

142

DOML'S.

have been only whited. The first instance of
painting them is that of Alcibiades. This
innovation met with considerable opposition.
We have also mention of painted ceilings at
the same period. At a later period this mode
of decoration became general.—(2) Roman.
The houses of the Romans were poor and mean
for many centuries after the foundation of the
city. Till the war with l'yrrhus the houses
were covered only with thatch or shingles,
and were usually built of wood or unbaked
bricks. It was not till the latter times of the
republic, when wealth had been acquired by
conquests in the East, that houses of any
splendour began to be built ; but it then be-
came the fashion not only to build houses of
an immense size, but also to adorn them with
columns, paintings, statues, and costly works
of art. Some idea may be formed of the size
and magnificence of the houses of the Roman
nobles during the later times of the republic
by the price which they fetched. The consul
Messalla bought the house of Autronius for
3700 sestertia (nearly 33,000/.), and Cicero
the house of Crassus, on the Palatine, for
3500 sestertia (nearly 31,000/.). The house
of Publius Clodius, whom Milo killed, cost
14,800 sestertia (about 131,000/.) ; and the
Tusculan villa.of Scaurus was fitted up with
such magnificence, that when it was burnt by
his slaves, he lost 100,000 sestertia, upwards
of 885,000/.—Houses were originally only
one story high; but as the value of ground
increased in the city they were built several
stories in height, and the highest floors were
usually inhabited by the poor. Till the time
of Nero, the streets in Rome were narrow
and irregular, and bore traces of the haste
and confusion with which the city was built
after it had been burnt by the Gauls ; but
after the great fire in the time of that empe-
ror, by which two-thirds of Rome was burnt
to the ground, the city was built with great
regularity. The streets were made straight
and broad ; the height of the houses was re-
stricted, and a certain part of each was re-
quired to be built of Gabian or Alban stone,
which was proof against fire. The principal
parts of a Roman house were the, 1. Vestibu-
lum, 2. Ostium, 3. Atrium or Cavum Aedium,
4. Alae, 5. Tablinuni, G. Fauces, 7. Peristy-
iium. The parts of a house which were con-
sidered of less importance, and of which the
arrangement differed in different houses,
were the, 1. Cubieula, 2. Triclinia, 3. Oeci,
4. JExedrae, 5. Pinacothcca, G. Bibliotheca,
7. Balineum, 8. Culina, 9. Cuenacula, 10. Di-
aeta, 11. Solaria. "We shall speak of each in
order.—1. Yestiisulum did not properly form
part of the house, but was a vacant space be-
fore the door, forming a court, which was

surrounded on three sides by the house, and
was open on the fourth to the street.—2. Os-
tium, which is also called janua and forrs,
was the entrance to the house. The street-
door admitted into a hall, to which the name
of ostium was also given, and in which there
was frequently a small room (cclla) for the
porter [janitor or ostiarius), and also for a dog,
which was usually kept in the hall to guard
the house. Another door (janua interior)
opposite the street-door led into the atrium.
—3. Atrium or Cavum Aedium, also written
Caraedium, are probably only different names
of the same room. The Atrium or Cavum
Aedium was a large apartment roofed over
with the exception of an opening in the
centre, called complurium, towards which the
roof sloped so as to throw the rain-water into
a cistern in the floor, termed intpluvium,
which was frequently ornamented with sta-
tues, columns, and other works of art. The
word impluvium, however, is also employed
to denote the aperture in the roof. The
atrium was the most important room in the
house, and among the wealthy was usually
fitted up with much splendour and magnifi-
cence. Originally it was the only sitting-
room in the house ; but in the houses of the
wealthy it was distinct from the private
apartments, and was used as a reception-
room, where the patron received his clients,
and the great and noble the numerous visi-
tors who were accustomed to call every morn-
ing to pay their respects or solicit favours.
But though the atrium was not used by the
wealthy as a sitting-room for the family, it
still continued to be employed for many pur-
poses which it had originally served. Thus
the nuptial couch was placed in the atrium
opposite the door, and also the instruments
and materials for spinning and weaving,
which were formerly carried on by the wo-
men of the family in this room. Here also
the images of their ancestors were placed,
and the focus or fire-place, which possessed
a sacred character, being dedicated to the
Lares of each family.—4. Alae, wings, were
small apartments or recesses on the left and
right sides of the atrium.—5. Tablim-m w;.s
in all probability a recess or room at the fur-
ther end of the atrium opposite the door
leading into the hall, and was regarded as
part of the atrium. It contained the family
records and archives. With the tablinum
the Roman house appears to have originally
ceased ; and the sleeping-rooms were proba-
bly arranged on each side of the atrium. But
when the atrium and its surrounding rooms
were used for the reception of clients and
other public visitors, it became necessary to
increase the size of the house ; and the fol-