Transcript La villa romana: LA PARS URBANA

And the dwelling space, namely:
11. Hospitalia, which represent the apartments and guest rooms;
12. Apartments of the dominus and his family; but also the apartments of
the vilicus (factor) and of the procurator, the latter only from the I century
A.D.
Some examples of Hospitalia in an archeologial site
Examples of all the apartments in the Villa of Mysteries, Pompei.
Details of mosaic floors in the
apartments of the villa of Volusii
(Fiano Romano- Roma)
a
b
The manor-house apartments in the villa of Volusii are located in the
south-west side of the complex, and they have been identified by the
archaeologists by the precious mosaic floors, both black and white
and polychrome.
Equally important are the areas designed for leisure(relax) such as:
13. Galleries, libraries, noble gardens
The gardens were surrounded by long wide porticoes : they were scattered
everywhere, supported by straight rows (lines) of columns. They were used
for walking indoors if the weather was bad (ambulationes) or, longer and
wider, they could be crossed on horseback and by litter (gestationes).
Ambulationes of a
roman villa in
Campania
Porticoes of the villa of Stabiae, in
Campania
Gestationes: porticoes of the roman villa of
Piazza Armerina,
Sicily.
Gestationes: example of the south portico in
the Villa of Mysteries in Pompei, one of the
few of which there is positive evidence of
cart crossing, according to scholars, because
of the width of its colonnade.
The noble gardens known by the name of Viridarium, is something
different: an ornamental garden within the hortus, sometimes
replacing the peristylium.
B. Detail from the fresco of the Villa
of Livia at Prima Porta
A. Recreation of viridarium, based on the
fresco
According to written sources the first sizeable garden of this kind was
arranged in the villa of Lucullo in about 60 b.C.. Such green areas then
spread over every country villa and are to be found even in the urban
one down to the rich aristocratic domus of the city.
The villa of Poppea at Oplontis,
in Campania
The bathrooms of the villa, the so-called thermal baths, were of two
kinds : the bathroom for the service staff (latrina) and the main bathroom
for the family of the dominus (balneus).
Excavation of a roman latrine, in a villa in
Campania.
Octagonal latrine of villa del Casale in
Sicily
Reconstructive
drawing
However the architectural attention is directed mostly towards the great
thermal baths, because the country villa was an opportunity to show off
the wealth and power of the owner.
The development of the basic plan is divided into:
1. Apodyterium which was the dressing room;
1. Apodyterium of
Pompei
2. Frigidarium which was the room for the cold bath.
Differently from the swimming pool (piscina natatoria), the frigidarium was
generally covered. If necessary, the water was kept fresh by adding snow.
B. Reconstruction of frigidarium of
Pompei
A. Frigidarium of Pompei
3. Tepidarium which was the waiting room, a kind of transition hall;
4. Calidarium which was the room for the hot bath.
The latter could be round or rectangular, with one or more tubs
(piscinae) of hot water, or single baths.
5. The calidarium could include the Laconicum, the Sudatio (space for
sweating), the alveum (tub for bathing in hot water). There was also a
swimming pool outside (piscina natatoria in red) and a gym area for
sport practice after bathing (gymnasium sphaeristerium in blue)
Thermal baths of Diocleziano
Laconicum, Thermal baths of Traiano
The heating system in the villa
It consisted in hot air circulating under the floor and through the walls, called
HIPOCAUSTUM.
The heating floor was formed by a layer of concrete, which rested on brick
pillars, rectangular or circular, called SUSPENSURAE, in an hollow space for
the circulation of hot air.
This system could be completed by carrying hot air also within the room walls
through the ducts called TUBULI.
Hypocaust of Grumentum,
Basilicata
Hypocaust of Predore, Bergamo
Technical innovation
The indirect heating system: the hot air produced by a PRAEFURNIUM
circulated under the floors of the hot compartments and inside internal cavities
in the walls.
The HYPOCAUSTUM was an empty space, covered by a floor generally
suspended (suspensura) on small regularly distanced pillars (pilae).
Sometimes the hypocaust was replaced by a system of heat ducts that were
arranged in a radial way under the floor.