Museum of Antiquity: A Description of Ancient LifeYaggy, L. W. (Levi W.)
History
Museum of Antiquity: A Description of Ancient Life
Yaggy, L. W. (Levi W.)
Civilization, Ancient; Classical antiquities
One of the most remarkable of these houses contains three stories; the
first, level with the street, contains the public part of the house,
the vestibule, atrium, and tablinum, which opens upon a spacious
terrace. Beside these is the peristyle and other private apartments,
at the back of which the terrace of which we have just spoken offers
an agreeable walk for the whole breadth of the house, and forms the
roof of a spacious set of apartments at a lower level, which are
accessible either by a sloping passage from the street, running under
the atrium, or by a staircase communicating with the peristyle. This
floor contains baths, a triclinium, a spacious saloon, and other rooms
necessary for the private use of a family. Behind these rooms is
another terrace, which overlooks a spacious court surrounded by
porticoes, and containing a piscina or reservoir in the centre. The
pillars on the side next the house are somewhat higher than on the
other three sides, so as to give the terrace there a greater
elevation. Below this second story there is yet a third, in part under
ground, which contains another set of baths, and, besides apartments
for other purposes, the lodging of the slaves. This was divided into
little cells, scarcely the length of a man, dark and damp; and we can
not enter into it without a lively feeling of the wretched state to
which these beings were reduced.
A few steps further on the same side, is another house somewhat of the
same description, which evidently belonged to some man of importance,
probably to Julius Polybius, whose name has been found in several
inscriptions. Fragments of richly-gilt stucco-work enable us to
estimate the richness of its decoration and the probable wealth of its
owner. It will be readily distinguished by its immense Corinthian
atrium, or rather peristyle. It has the further peculiarity of having
two vestibules each communicating with the street and with the atrium.
The portico of the atrium is formed by arcades and piers, ornamented
with attached columns, the centre being occupied by a court and
fountain. These arcades appear to be enclosed by windows. Square
holes, worked in the marble coping of a dwarf wall which surrounds the
little court, were perfectly distinguishable, and it is concluded that
they were meant to receive the window-frames.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account