Roman Housing
In Pompeii, most houses in the villages were very small. Only few people were wealthy enough to have a larger house. A standard village house in Pompeii usually had impressive doorways and front doorsteps. This area was decorated in ways such as carvings in the wall, and on the ground too. When you stepped into the house, (the atrium) only part of the ceiling was roofed. Right in the middle of the floor, there was a stone tank that would collect the rainwater in case there was rainfall during the day or night. The Romans believed that if the elderly and infants had both sun and rain in the same day it would bring good health to the family. This was the reason why their houses were only partly roofed. Rooms in the houses of Pompeii were extremely small, and normally only could fit one adult inside. There were many rooms in the home because of this reason. Bedroom beds, were made from bronze, a thin mattress stuffed with straw, and a blanket made from wool. Decoration in the bedrooms were only clay pots with minimal design on them. Kitchens in the house only contained one sink, one brick oven and a small area for a concrete stove. Smoke usually filled the kitchen when cooking, as there were not many windows to ventilate the area. |
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