"Roman literature focuses on the dining habits of the upper classes, for whom the evening meal ""(cena)"" had important social functions. Guests were entertained in a finely decorated dining room ""(triclinium)"", often with a view of the peristyle garden. Diners lounged on couches, leaning on the left elbow. By the late Republic, if not earlier, women dined, reclined, and drank wine along with men. The most famous description of a Roman meal is probably Trimalchio's dinner party in the ""Satyricon"", a fictional extravaganza that bears little resemblance to reality even among the most wealthy. The poet Martial describes serving a"
"as the head of the social authority of the paterfamilias. Triclinium The Roman dining room. The area had three couches, ""klinai"", on three sides of a low square table. Alae The open rooms (or alcoves) on each side of the atrium. Ancestral death masks, or ""imagines"", were displayed here. Cubiculum Bedroom. The floor mosaics of the cubiculum often marked out a rectangle where the bed should be placed. Culina The kitchen in a Roman house. The culina was dark, and the smoke from the cooking fires filled the room as the best ventilation available in Roman times was a hole"
"of some slight padding. As the domus developed, the tablinum took on a role similar to that of the study. In each of the other bedrooms there was usually just a bed. The triclinium had three couches surrounding a table. The triclinium often was similar in size to the master bedroom. The study was used as a passageway. If the master of the house was a banker or merchant the study often was larger because of the greater need for materials. Roman houses lay on an axis, so that a visitor was provided with a view through the fauces, atrium,"
"would not face the streets, only its entrance providing more room for living spaces and gardens behind. Surrounding the atrium were arranged the master's families' main rooms: the small cubicula or bedrooms, the tablinum, which served as a living room or study, and the triclinium, or dining-room. Roman homes were like Greek homes. Only two objects were present in the atrium of Caecilius in Pompeii: a small bronze box that stored precious family items and the ""lararium"", a small shrine to the household gods, the Lares. In the master bedroom was a small wooden bed and couch which usually consisted"
"a small masonry counter wood-burning stove. The wealthy had a slave who worked as a cook and spent nearly all his or her time in the kitchen. During a hot summer day the family ate their meals in the summer triclinium to stave off the heat. Most of the light came from the compluvium and the open peristylium. There were no clearly defined separate spaces for slaves or for women. Slaves were ubiquitous in a Roman household and slept outside their masters' doors at night; women used the atrium and other spaces to work once the men had left for"
"dining room ""triclinium"" where guests could eat dinner whilst reclining on couches, a ""tablinum"" (living room or study), and the ""culina"" (Roman kitchen). On the outside, and without any internal connection to the atrium, were ""tabernae"" (shops facing the street). In cities throughout the Roman Empire, wealthy homeowners lived in buildings with few exterior windows. Glass windows weren't readily available: glass production was in its infancy. Thus a wealthy Roman citizen lived in a large house separated into two parts, and linked together through the ""tablinum"" or study or by a small passageway. To protect the family from intruders, it"
"in the ceiling (the domestic chimney would not be invented until the 12th century CE). This is where slaves prepared food for their masters and guests in Roman times. Posticum A servants' entrance also used by family members wanting to leave the house unobserved. The back part of the house was centred on the peristyle much as the front centred on the atrium. The ""peristylium"" was a small garden often surrounded by a columned passage, the model of the medieval cloister. Surrounding the peristyle were the bathrooms, kitchen and summer triclinium. The kitchen was usually a very small room with"
"often included a main meat dish, like roasted pig. The third and final course included desserts such as fruits or nuts. Only the very wealthy would consume exotic dishes such as giraffe, ostrich, lion, and peacock. Cena In Ancient Roman culture, cena was the main meal of the day. In earlier times, it was held midday, but later began to be held in evenings. It was a focal point of social life, along with the public baths, the frequenting of which often preceded the meal. Seating during dinner was in the triclinium, three couches for reclining arranged as three sides"
"Cubiculum The cubiculum was a private room in an ancient Roman house occupied by a high-status family, a ""domus"". It usually led directly from the ""atrium"", but in later periods it was sometimes adjacent to the ""peristyle"". It was used for the functions of a modern bedroom, sleep as well as for business meetings, the reception of important guests and the display of the most highly-prized works of art in the house. The Cubiculum also was for quiet or secret meetings and could have been used as a library. A room used only for sleeping was not classed as a"
"the house. The bathing room was located in the domestic wing, which was to the right of the entrance, and along with the kitchen was heated by a large furnace. The servants’ quarters were dark and cramped, and there was not much furniture. The house features beautiful peristyle gardens, the second of which was created as a stage to host recitations, mimes, and pantomimes. Additionally, the house contained an entrance passage, a number of bedrooms (""cubicula""), dining rooms (""triclinia"") for both the summer and winter, a reception room (""oecus""), and an office (""tablinum""). Today visitors can still explore the remains"
"in the Palace, the ""cenatio"" (or ""Triclinium"") or Banqueting Room. Like the ""Aula Regia"", it was extravagantly decorated, with several tiers of columns in exotic marbles and a frieze. It opened onto two courtyards with oval fountains to the north and south visible from the windows of the dining room. The centre of the southern wall of the hall has an apse surrounded by two passages which allow access to the library of the temple of Apollo. The floor of the hall is covered with marble concealing a hypocaust whose bricks date from the reign of Maxentius. This heating system"
"so that clerestory windows were introduced to light the room, which, as Vitruvius states, presents more the appearance of a basilica than of a triclinium. Oecus Oecus, the Latinized form of Gr. ""oikos"", house, used by Vitruvius for the principal hall or salon in a Roman house, which was used occasionally as a triclinium for banquets. When of great size it became necessary to support its ceiling with columns; thus, according to Vitruvius, the tetrastyle oecus had four columns; in the Corinthian oecus there was a row of columns on each side, virtually therefore dividing the room into nave and"
"Cena In Ancient Roman culture, cena was the main meal of the day. In earlier times, it was held midday, but later began to be held in evenings. It was a focal point of social life, along with the public baths, the frequenting of which often preceded the meal. Seating during dinner was in the triclinium, three couches for reclining arranged as three sides of a square, with a small table for food in the middle of all these. The cena traditionally consisted of three parts. The appetizer course often included eggs, olives, and honeyed wine. The second, main course"
"signinum (chalk and crushed bricks). The ""cubiculum"" has a mosaic text in which the worker wishes Maternus prosperity. This Maternus is thought to be Maternus Cinigius, uncle of the emperor Theodosius. The mosaics depict: The oecus, where the owner held meetings and banquets showing off his social status, was ended by a raised exedra. The mosaic depicts the death of Adonis. Two dogs named Leander and Titurus are also represented. The hypocaust of the triclinium was complemented by ceramic tubes in the walls that pulled the hot air upwards. The mosaic depicts the gift of the slave Briseis to Achilles"
"more elaborate. Films about ancient Roman ""convivia"" often feature a ""stibadium"" rather than a ""lectus"". Stibadium The "" stibadium "" (plural: ""stibadia"") is a later form of the Roman ""lectus triclinaris"", the reclining seat used by diners in the triclinium. Originally, the ""lecti"" were arranged in a group of three in a semi-circle. The ""stibadium"" was a single semi-circular couch, fitting up to a dozen people, which replaced the triple group of ""lecti"" in the dining-room, frequently in alcoves around the centre of the room. The ""stibadium"" was originally an outdoor seat but was introduced indoors in the 2nd-3rd centuries"
"mythological. Immediately to the west of the triclinium is a large oecus, which was the main living room of a Roman house. Like the caldarium frescoes, the room is also painted in the Second Style. The east wall includes some wonderful details such as a theatre mask and peacock. Much attention has been paid to the allusions to stage painting (""scenae frons"") in the Villa Poppaea frescoes, particularly those in Room 23. The Villa of Poppaea was first discovered in the eighteenth century during the construction of the Sarno Canal which cut through the central hall of the villa (Clarke,"
"columns. The Maritime Theater includes a lounge, a library, heated baths, three suites with heated floors, washbasin, an art gallery, and a large fountain. During the ancient times, the island was connected to the portico by two wooden drawbridges. On the island sits a small Roman house complete with an atrium, a library, a triclinium, and small baths. The area was probably used by the emperor as a retreat from the busy life at the court. The villa utilizes numerous architectural styles and innovations. The domes of the steam baths have circular holes on the apex to allow steam to"
"Stibadium The "" stibadium "" (plural: ""stibadia"") is a later form of the Roman ""lectus triclinaris"", the reclining seat used by diners in the triclinium. Originally, the ""lecti"" were arranged in a group of three in a semi-circle. The ""stibadium"" was a single semi-circular couch, fitting up to a dozen people, which replaced the triple group of ""lecti"" in the dining-room, frequently in alcoves around the centre of the room. The ""stibadium"" was originally an outdoor seat but was introduced indoors in the 2nd-3rd centuries B.C. because the shape was more convenient for entertaining and as ""triclinia"" became larger and"
"at about 10 degrees. Diners would recline on these surfaces in a semi-recumbent position. The fourth side of the table was left free, presumably to allow service to the table. Usually the open side faced the entrance of the room. In Roman-era dwellings, particularly wealthy ones, ""triclinia"" were common and the hosts and guest would recline on pillows while feasting. The Museum of Archeology in Arezzo, Italy, or the House of Caro in Pompeii offer what are thought to be accurate reconstructions of ""triclinia"". The custom of using ""klinai"" while taking a meal rather than sitting became popular among the"
"or cast bronze. The Romans also adapted a chaise longue style chair for the ""accubatio"" (the act of reclining during a meal). At Roman banquets, the usual number of persons occupying each bed was three, with three daybeds forming three sides of a small square, so that the triclinium (the dining-room of a Roman residence) allowed for a party of nine. The Romans did not practice upholstery, so the couches were made comfortable with pillows, loose covers and animal skins. For the Victorians, the chaise longue was thought of as being particularly dear to expecting wives. As birth control information"
"by four cubicula (bedrooms), which belonged most likely to the main occupants of the house. There are also two alae and a winter triclinium surrounding the atrium. To enter the atrium from the main entrance, one has to pass through the fauces and vestibulum. The small atrium is surrounded by four rooms which are believed to have been used by servants and as storage rooms. A kitchen is also located near the small atrium along with a cubiculum meant to house the cook and an impluvium, which was designed to catch rainwater from an opening in the roof A staircase"
"became the main office and reception room for the house master. Tablinum In Roman architecture, a tablinum (or tabulinum, from ""tabula"", board, picture) was a room generally situated on one side of the atrium and opposite to the entrance; it opened in the rear on to the peristyle, with either a large window or only an anteroom or curtain. The walls were richly decorated with fresco pictures, and busts of the family were arranged on pedestals on the two sides of the room. The tablinum was the office in a Roman house, the father's centre for business, where he would"
"and over beds, were called ""accubitalia"". Accubita Accubita was one name for the Ancient Roman furniture couches used in the time of the Roman emperors, in the ""triclinium"" or dining room, for reclining upon at meals. It was also apparently sometimes the name of the dining room itself, or a niche for a couch. Sometimes it denotes a multi-person curved couch, for which the term stibadium is also used. Klinai is the Greek equivalent, sometimes also used. The mattresses and feather-beds were softer and higher, and the supports (""fulcra"") of them lower in proportion, than in older triclinium couches. The"
"Tablinum In Roman architecture, a tablinum (or tabulinum, from ""tabula"", board, picture) was a room generally situated on one side of the atrium and opposite to the entrance; it opened in the rear on to the peristyle, with either a large window or only an anteroom or curtain. The walls were richly decorated with fresco pictures, and busts of the family were arranged on pedestals on the two sides of the room. The tablinum was the office in a Roman house, the father's centre for business, where he would receive his clients. It was originally the master bedroom, but later"
"and commercial contracts were concluded in the basilica. Near the Villa of Dionysus, on the main road, is the Praetorium located. The building was used as a hostel for officials and emissaries as well as to accommodate ordinary travelers (Taberna). A locally found Latin inscription designates the building as Praetorium with two Tabernae. The entrance was on the south side; in the eastern part of the complex were five bedrooms and a luxurious dining room, the Triclinium. The Tabernae consisted of two larger rooms in the western wing. Here the archaeologists found earthen storage vessels and some lamps. Between Praetorium"
"Accubita Accubita was one name for the Ancient Roman furniture couches used in the time of the Roman emperors, in the ""triclinium"" or dining room, for reclining upon at meals. It was also apparently sometimes the name of the dining room itself, or a niche for a couch. Sometimes it denotes a multi-person curved couch, for which the term stibadium is also used. Klinai is the Greek equivalent, sometimes also used. The mattresses and feather-beds were softer and higher, and the supports (""fulcra"") of them lower in proportion, than in older triclinium couches. The cloths and pillows spread over them,"
"floor in what is believed to have been a triclinium. In Roman tradition, seating would have been arranged in a U-shape around the mosaic for guests to recline as they ate, drank and socialized. The mosaic features images of Dionysus, god of wine and of socializing, along with Pan and Hercules in several of the 15 panels. The most famous image is that of a young woman, possibly Venus, which has been dubbed the ""Mona Lisa of the Galilee"". Smaller mosaic ""tesserae"" were used, which allowed for greater detail and a more lifelike result, as seen in the shading and"
"of the main hall was a triclinium, or dining hall, where public meals could be held, and a small, triangular space that may have been used as a kitchen. The triclinium was added some years after the main hall was built. Diners reclined, Roman style, on benches against three walls of the chamber while eating. The floors and walls were covered with white plaster. Despite the excavator's identification of a building among the Hasmonean palatial complex near Wadi Qelt as a synagogue, the matter is far from conclusive. In fact, few scholars seriously consider this suggestion in discussions of Second"
"""cubiculum"". The private nature of the ""cubiculum"" made it a place for contemplation and religious observance, especially when illicit. According to the ""Actus Silvestri"" Constantine the Great first learned of Christianity in his ""cubiculum"" and fasted there for a week before his first confession and baptism. Cubiculum The cubiculum was a private room in an ancient Roman house occupied by a high-status family, a ""domus"". It usually led directly from the ""atrium"", but in later periods it was sometimes adjacent to the ""peristyle"". It was used for the functions of a modern bedroom, sleep as well as for business meetings,"
"of music and social space in the past. Here the famous mosaics with representations of muses and horses were found . The dining room, the triclinium , is decorated with frescoes on the walls and a mosaic of floral motifs on the floor.The North side of the atrium was a ""hortus"".On the West side of the atrium were the private rooms and a small thermal baths more private than the main spa. Right next to the entrance of the site are the ruins of the early Christian basilica with a cross-shaped baptistery. The building type with opposite apses is documented"
"to the sixth of the Ides of August"". The accompanying abbreviation SQDLENC is conjectured to stand for ""Si quis domi lenocinium exerceat ne conducito"" (""Let no one apply who keeps a brothel""). The venereum in the House of Sallustius included a bedchamber, a triclinium and a lararium. Venereum Venereum (after goddess Venus) was an element of ancient Roman private apartments found particularly in Pompeii. It was originally interpreted as a specialized apartment or room dedicated to sexual activities. One venereum was found in the House of Julia Felix and another one in the House of Sallust, both in Pompeii. In"
"initiates reclined on stone benches arranged along the longer sides of the mithraeumtypically there might be room for 15 to 30 diners, but very rarely many more than 40 men. Counterpart dining rooms, or ""triclinia"", were to be found above ground in the precincts of almost any temple or religious sanctuary in the Roman empire, and such rooms were commonly used for their regular feasts by Roman 'clubs', or ""collegia"". Mithraic feasts probably performed a very similar function for Mithraists as the ""collegia"" did for those entitled to join them; indeed, since qualification for Roman ""collegia"" tended to be restricted"
"perspiration to start, in order to guard against the danger of passing too suddenly into the high temperature of the next room. Caldarium A caldarium (also called a calidarium, cella caldaria or cella coctilium) was a room with a hot plunge bath, used in a Roman bath complex. This was a very hot and steamy room heated by a hypocaust, an underfloor heating system using tunnels with hot air, heated by a furnace tended by slaves. This was the hottest room in the regular sequence of bathing rooms; after the caldarium, bathers would progress back through the warm bathroom to"