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In a domus, a large house in ancient Roman architecture, the atrium was the open central court with enclosed rooms on all sides. In the middle of the atrium was the impluvium, a shallow pool sunken into the floor to catch rainwater from the roof. Some surviving examples are beautifully decorated.
The domus included multiple rooms, indoor courtyards, gardens and beautifully painted walls that were elaborately laid out. The vestibulum ('entrance hall') led into a large central hall: the atrium, which was the focal point of the domus and contained a statue of or an altar to the household
The atrium testudinatum was employed when the atrium was small and another floor was built over it. [14] The name comes from the Latin word testudo, which means a turtle or tortoise, and by transference a covered vault. The Encyclopædia Britannica said that no example of this type had been found at Pompeii, as of 1911.
A domus, with impluvium numbered 7. The impluvium (pl.: impluvia) is a water-catchment pool system meant to capture rain-water flowing from the compluvium, an area of roof. [1] [2] Often placed in a courtyard, under an opening in the roof, and thus "inside", instead of "outside", a building, it is a notable feature in many architectural traditions.
Architectural details of a Domus italica with the tablinum marked number 5.. In Roman architecture, a tablinum (or tabulinum, from tabula, board, picture) was a room generally situated on one side of the atrium and opposite to the entrance; it opened in the rear onto the peristyle, with either a large window or only an anteroom or curtain.
Diagram of a typical Roman domus.. Fauces is an architectural term given by Vitruvius (Arch. 3.6.3) to narrow passages on either side of the tablinum, through which access could be obtained from the atrium to the peristylar court in the rear. [1]
A cubiculum (pl.: cubicula) was a private room in a domus, an ancient Roman house occupied by a high-status family. It usually led directly from the atrium, but in later periods it was sometimes adjacent to the peristyle.
The domus, or single-family residence, was only for the well-off in Rome, with most having a layout of the closed unit, consisting of one or two rooms. Between 312 and 315 AD Rome had 1781 domus and 44,850 of insulae. [43] Insulae have been the subject of debate for historians of Roman culture, defining the various meanings of the word. [44]