The visitor at one of these ancient houses first entered a
small vestibule, from which a narrow passage led to the heavy oaken door. A dog
was sometimes kept chained in this hallway; in Pompeii there is a picture of
one worked in mosaic on the floor with the warning beneath it, "Beware of
the dog." Having made known his presence by using the knocker, the guest
was ushered into the reception room, or atrium. This was a large
apartment covered with a roof, except for a hole in the center admitting light
and air. A marble basin directly underneath caught the rain water which came
through the opening. The atrium represents the single room of the
primitive Roman house without windows or chimney.
THE PERISTYLE
A corridor from the atrium led into the peristyle,
the second of the two main sections of a Roman house. It was a spacious court,
open to the sky and inclosed by a colonnade or portico. This delightful spot,
rather than the formal atrium, served as the center of family life.
About it were grouped the bedchambers, bathrooms, dining rooms, kitchen, and
other apartments of a comfortable mansion. Still other rooms occupied the upper
stories of the dwelling.
