Pompeii Houses
The layout and rooms in the houses of Ancient Pompeii differs from our modern household today. There was no such thing as a ‘backyard’ in Pompeii; residents had peristyles, large outdoor gardens or courtyards. Not every person of the household had a specific room to themselves, they slept according to convenience and weather. They simply set up a bed in one of the little rooms either side of the atrium or peristyle. The richer and more successful you were, the bigger your atrium and peristyle could be and were. For example, To show their success and wealth Ancient Pompeian's decorated their houses with mosaics, paintings, sculptures and much more.
It was uncommon, but some houses had two stories. Slaves and servants were known to live on the top floor. This was because in Ancient times they did not have a device that could help the upper floors have access to water easily. To have drinking, cooking or bathing water, servants had to retrieve water from the well and carry them up to the top floor.
Houses in Ancient Pompeii were made of local stone, then covered in plaster and finally, decorated with as many riches as the individual could afford. In Ancient Rome there was a technical architectural guide that gives the general guidelines for the way houses were to be built. Each floor-plan of the house varied between each person's class and profession. For example, the guide stated that a politician's house needed a large reception area and a merchant's house needed to have shops along the front of their house, facing the street.
Lararium
Most households and many businesses included a small shrine or lararium. These
shrines were devoted to the gods honoured by the family, the lares (the spirits who
protected the household) and the family’s genii (guardian ancestor spirits).
The layout and rooms in the houses of Ancient Pompeii differs from our modern household today. There was no such thing as a ‘backyard’ in Pompeii; residents had peristyles, large outdoor gardens or courtyards. Not every person of the household had a specific room to themselves, they slept according to convenience and weather. They simply set up a bed in one of the little rooms either side of the atrium or peristyle. The richer and more successful you were, the bigger your atrium and peristyle could be and were. For example, To show their success and wealth Ancient Pompeian's decorated their houses with mosaics, paintings, sculptures and much more.
It was uncommon, but some houses had two stories. Slaves and servants were known to live on the top floor. This was because in Ancient times they did not have a device that could help the upper floors have access to water easily. To have drinking, cooking or bathing water, servants had to retrieve water from the well and carry them up to the top floor.
Houses in Ancient Pompeii were made of local stone, then covered in plaster and finally, decorated with as many riches as the individual could afford. In Ancient Rome there was a technical architectural guide that gives the general guidelines for the way houses were to be built. Each floor-plan of the house varied between each person's class and profession. For example, the guide stated that a politician's house needed a large reception area and a merchant's house needed to have shops along the front of their house, facing the street.
Lararium
Most households and many businesses included a small shrine or lararium. These
shrines were devoted to the gods honoured by the family, the lares (the spirits who
protected the household) and the family’s genii (guardian ancestor spirits).