罗马人的房屋.ppt

* 罗马人的房屋 Compared to the simple round huts occupied by the Ancient Britons, the Romans built houses that were far more advanced, both in style and construction. Below is a Roman villa. A Roman villa was a country estate. However, most Romans lived in towns or cities such as Rome and Pompeii. Roman town houses, although differing in detail, shared various common features. Viewed from above they tended to present a rectangular plan – the Romans were very keen on symmetry. Most town houses belonging to wealthy Romans featured many different rooms, the smaller of these being situated around the atrium, tablinum and the peristylium. Viewed from the outside the houses appeared to have no garden. This was because the garden (the peristylium) was contained within the main walls at the back of the property. Indeed the outer walls abutted nearly straight onto the road. The house also featured few windows, which were relatively small. This was to ensure that the house was secure from burglars, and to keep the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. For the same reason the outer walls would be painted white - at least in the hot Mediterranean provinces . There may have been a second storey, while at the front of the property there may have been space for shops. Looking from the outside the roof may not have been visible, as it tended to slope inwards to the centre of the building. The roof was usually constructed out of large overlapping red tiles. Above the atrium there was an opening in the roof to let rainwater fall into a small indoor pool (the impluvium). The inside of the house presented an air of simple elegance. The rooms tended to be uncluttered by any unnecessary furnishings. The walls were painted, often adorned by symmetrical patterns within a frieze. Sometimes pictures of scenes from mythical stories, or of animals were painted directly onto the walls. The floors were often formed out of finely cut, polished marble, and may also have been decorate