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Villa Urbana |
Roman households varied a great deal, dependent upon status, wealth, position and purpose. However during the first and second centuries AD an ideal Roman house had developed. The house was generally based around two central areas the front and rear, called the atrium and peristylium. Unlike most modern western houses which are surrounded by a garden and paths, the Roman house was insular meaning that it had very few or no outward facing windows and the gardens were situated in the inside of the construct, normally in the peristylium. Ordinarily the atrium and peristylium would be open to the elements, which was perfect for the fine Mediterranean weather, however as Roman lifestyle and fashion spread north and and beyond adaptations were made to more suit the climate they were built in.
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Reconstruction of a Romano-British urban villa excavated in Winchester, Hampshire. |
Roman Villa, Herculaneum, Italy |
The Peristylium of the Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii, Italy |