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Chapter 7 Culture Notes Sheet: The Roman Villa
A View of the Roman Villa
What modern day museum gives us a glimpse into what a Roman villa would have looked like? How?
The J. Paul Getty Museum – it’s a reconstructed Roman house from Pompeii, so we can see exactly
what one would have looked like.
What did the walls of a Roman villa look like?
They were painted, oftentimes very intricately.
What major feature would have been in the middle of a Roman villa? Why did the Romans put these in
their houses? What is the Latin word for this feature?
The garden (“hortus” in Latin). Romans wanted a way to bring nature into their houses, especially
if they lived in the city where it was crowded and noisy.
What types of artwork did wealthy Romans demand inside their villas?
Paintings and sculptures.
Where did the materials for this artwork come from?
Gold from Nubia (Egypt), Marble from Athens (Greece) and Lapis Lazuli (a blue gem) from
Afghanistan.
What would surround the inner garden of a Roman villa? What is the specific name for this feature?
It was surrounded by columns – this was called a “peristyle” which means “columns all around”
What is the Latin name for Roman villas in cities? What did these villas look like on the outside? Why do
you think that was?
Villa Urbana. They had high walls with no windows – they looked like a fortress. The reason was
because cities were noisy and you wanted to block them out. The focus was on the inside of the
house, not what was outside its walls.
Compluvium: A hole in the ceiling of the atrium to let light, air, and rain water in.
Impluvium: A hole in the floor under the compluvium to catch rain water.
What would Roman families have on the elegant table in their atrium?
They would put their most prized and expensive possessions as a way of showing off
wealth/status.
What was the tablinum? What would happen inside it?
A tablinum was the office for the father of the family. In the tablinum he would conduct business.
What was the lararium?
It was the small shrine in the atrium for the household gods.
What feature did even the smallest of Roman homes usually have? Why do you think this was?
A garden. It’s because they loved nature and wanted to bring some nature into their homes.
Roman villas are often said to be “turned in on themselves”—what do you think this means?
It means that with the high walls, guards, and guard dogs on the outside, they want to block
everything out. The focus is on the inside of the house on the garden/piscina. In our modern
houses, we have a lot of windows and doors which look outward.
Key Vocabulary
insulae- apartments
domus- “home”
area- an open space for processing grain
villa urbana- “urban villa”
villa maritima- “villa by the sea”
atrium- the main entrance chamber of the house
fauces- “throat” – it was the main entrance hallway that leads to the atrium
peristyle- “columns all around” – the columns around the hortus
cubicula- bedrooms
tablinum- the office of the house where the paterfamilias would conduct business