House of the Tragic Poet
A
atrium formal entrance hall Al ala "wings" opening from atrium C cubiculum small room; bedroom Cu culina kitchen E exedra garden room P peristylium colonnaded garden T taberna shop Ta tablinum office; study Tri triclinium dining room V vestibulum entrance hall |
The House of the Tragic Poet is an excellent example of a typical Pompeii house. It was named for a fresco, one of the many pieces of artwork scattered throughout the home, which was typical of many Pompeian houses, and it follows a similar structure with similar rooms seen in many other houses.
The first two rooms in The House of the Tragic Poet (THTP) are the tabernae. These rooms were shops, and many houses in Pompeii had these. These tabernae were in an excellent position due to their proximity to the public baths across the street, and their owners may have known the owner of the house due to small doors leading into THTP. In the middle of the entrance to these shops is a doorway. This was called the vestibulum, and it was something of an entrance hallway for the guests of the house. THTP has a famous mosaic at the entrance to its home labeled Cave Canem, which is Latin for Beware of the Dog. At the end of the vestibulum is the atrium. This room is partially open to the elements, with a hole in the center of the roof called the compluvium, and directly beneath it is a shallow pool in the ground, for the purpose of collecting and storing rainwater, called the impluvium. Leading off of this room are several smaller rooms called cubiculum. These were often used as bedrooms, but they could have other uses, as long as it didn't take up much space. There may seem like a lot of them per house (THTP has less than most), but in the Roman Empire, it was common for several generations of a family to live under one roof. The culina was the kitchen. This room was small, because much of the food in Rome didn't require much room, or need many special supplies. To learn more about why, check out the food section of this website. Directly across from the vestibulum is the tablinum. This was the office, where the head of the family conducted important business, and it was stratigically placed between the atrium and peristylium for effect. The peristylium was an open room, and always had a garden in the center. Oftentimes these gardens were nicely manicured, with trees and shrubs around them to soak up the excess rainwater. These were always at the back ends of the house. The exedra was a space in the peristylium with a patio and seats for guests to enjoy the garden and fresh air. Lastly is the triclinium, a room with stone tablet seats for lounging on while enjoying dinner. One important thing to notice about houses in Pompeii would be that bedrooms were a very small area, and all of the places to be publicly enjoyed were large and central in the houses design. This echos the rest of Pompeian life, where there are plenty of places for socialization, and very few for private enjoyments. |