Pompeii Architecture

 

Pompeii is the oldest pre-roman city that has been constructed, so it is often studied when looking at housing and city architecture. The urban grid was created efficiently by using geometric patterns for the city layout. Main commercial streets were 7-8 meters wide and had sidewalks on both sides. Lava rock was used as steppingstones in the street since the streets were also the sewer system. Pompeii built their city based on repetition and patterns, this is even seen in the architecture of the houses.

Houses in Pompeii were all built under the same spatial principle that consisted of four main rooms. The first room was called the Fauces; the Fauces is a small room facing the street with a window that serves as a store front. Families would sell their goods through these windows or rent out the room for others to sell out of. This room leads into the first courtyard called: The Atrium. The Atrium would now be considered a dining room, the family ate most their meals there. The ceiling was covered with an opening in the center to provide light and collect rainwater. The Trabilinum came next, it connected the first courtyard to the second, it acted as the office or library to the master of the house. It was separated from the Atrium by a curtain or wooden screen. The last courtyard was called the Peristyllium. It was a paved interior garden and was inspired by Greek architecture. It was the pinnacle of luxury, more rich families had larger Perisylliums. Both the Peristyllium and Atrium had access to the other rooms, which were typically only bedrooms.

 

A person in a robe standing in front of a building Description automatically generated with low confidence

Painting of the front of a Fauces from the Street-View

Comments

  1. Ms. DunleyMay 18, 2023 at 11:26 AM

    Are there still teams working to discover more information on the structures on Pompeii?

    ReplyDelete

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