The Houses of Roman Italy, 100 B.C.- A.D. 250: Ritual, Space, and Decoration

Let’s say you have just finished a class in Roman Architecture – possibly the Open Yale class also offered through Coursera ;-) – and you are interested in learning more about the Domus Italica. You could hardly do better than taking a look at John Clarke’s The Houses of Rome: 100 BC to 250 AD.This is a very scholarly and closely argued book. Clarke goes beyond simply identifying the parts of a Roman Domus ("here is the impluvium", "here is a Second Style wall painting") in favor of looking at the entirety of a Roman house as an "assemblage" of plan, embellishment, decoration, etc. He believes that we need to look at how the inhabitants physically lived inside their houses - where they sat, what rituals were practiced and where, and especially, what they saw when they looked about - to really understand the meaning of domestic architecture. He elaborates at length on the idea that the Romans were fascinated by vistas and sightlines through and within architecture, applying this concept to domestic architecture. For some of the houses, Clarke goes so far as to identify the "favored guest seat" in the triclinium (dining room) and recreates the exact view that a guest would have enjoyed while reclining on one elbow.Great stuff for fans of the Roman Domus, and well written to boot.

A very astute review that seeks explain Roman houses, villas and estates with a thorough review of the relationship between the decoration and the distinct heirarchy of the spaces. I realize that Pompeii and Herculaneum (and a bit of Ostia) represent the closest physical extant remains of the architecture amd decor. However, scant attention is paid to remains in far flung areas of the empire. Roman houses were built all across the empire. It would be enlightening to see if the same plan elements exist in Britain or the Near East or Norrh Africa and maybe from some of the fragments of fresco wether the decorative schemes were also widespread.

Great book with lots of information for general reading. Some of the concepts are repeatedly reinforced (such as the viewing axis of the house) whereas the ceremonial and ritual side is not as detailed. Also, examples are from a small subset of dwellings - I would have liked a broader cross-section. Overall, a very informative book.

Great book, full of information. I find its layout a bit confusing though, and I would have wished the plates and figures to be better described and placed closer to the pages and chapters where they are mentioned.

Very detailed however I with there were more colored pictures. Some of the B&W ones hard to see the point the author is trying to make.

The book goes beyond the usual area of Pompeii/ Herculaneum the only weakness is that it is somewhat limited on illustrationbut covers a good selection of domestic architecture throughout Italy

Awesome

came in on time and is the book pictured. not much else necessary.

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