What was the impluvium in Rome?
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The impluvium is the sunken part of the atrium in a Greek or Roman house (domus). Designed to carry away the rainwater coming through the compluvium of the roof, it is usually made of marble and placed about 30 cm below the floor of the atrium and emptied into a subfloor cistern.
What was the purpose of the Roman House atrium What was the purpose of the impluvium?
The compluvium allowed light, fresh air, and rain to enter the atrium; the impluvium was necessary to capture any rainwater and channel it to an underground cistern. The water could then be used for household purposes.
What is an atrium in a church?
atrium: An open courtyard at the entrance of a church, usually surrounded by covered aisles. The atrium of the Early Christian church was originally a place for the catechumens to wait during the celebration of the Eucharist.
What is a domus in ancient Rome?
domus, plural domus, private family residence of modest to palatial proportions, found primarily in ancient Rome and Pompeii. In contrast to the insula (q.v.), or tenement block, which housed numerous families, the domus was a single-family dwelling divided into two main parts, atrium and peristyle.
What is a church apse?
apse, in architecture, a semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir, chancel, or aisle of a secular or ecclesiastical building. First used in pre-Christian Roman architecture, the apse often functioned as an enlarged niche to hold the statue of a deity in a temple.
What was a Roman domus made of?
marble
The elite classes of Roman society constructed their residences with elaborate marble decorations, inlaid marble paneling, door jambs and columns as well as expensive paintings and frescoes.
What is insula English?
Insula is the Latin word for “island” and may refer to: Insula (Roman city), a block in a Roman city plan surrounded by four streets. Insula (building), a kind of apartment building in ancient Rome that provided housing for all but the elite.