Insula - 816 Words

Insula In Ancient Rome the buildings referred to as Insula were as common as the modern apartment building. In Roman architecture an insula is a Latin word that means island. An insula was a kind of apartment building that housed most of the urban citizen population of ancient Rome, this included class types of lower or middle-class status. The wealthy families lived in an apartment called a domus, they were large and made for single-family residences. These two kinds of housing were intermingled in the city and not segregated by separate neighborhoods. Only the wealthiest could afford the luxury of living in private homes. The ground-level floor of the insula was used for shops and businesses with the space that they would live†¦show more content†¦The apartments on these floors were usually without heating or running water. This meant they had to use Rome’s public restrooms. The dangerous of fires made the height of the insula go down to 17.75 meters and this happened whe n Nero made the rule after the Great Fire of Rome. There were about 42,000-46,000 insula in the city with the population being around 700,000 to 80,000. These apartments weren’t made to be art, but the ruins have become a remarkable piece of history. â€Å"Few intact examples of Roman insulae remain today – one well preserved building can still be seen at Ostia Antica, the ancient Roman port 15km outside Rome. However, there is another preserved insula much closer to the heart of the ancient city, on via del Teatro di Marcello. It is a somewhat neglected site, completely overshadowed by the more famous and showy attractions of the piazza del Campidoglio and the imposing Altare della Patria in piazza Venezia. Nonetheless, it is an evocative reminder of city life some 2000 years ago.† (Heritage Key.) A Marxist way of looking at these buildings is the way they were built; these buildings were made for middle-class people with the bottom being the biggest space. Obviously the bigger it is the more money it cost. This architecture would have never happened if society hadn’t influenced it. Society needed a place to live and these apartments were the best solution., theShow MoreRelatedThe Eruption Of The Volcano1878 Words   |  8 PagesHerculaneum was 6 km from the foot of Vesuvius, whilst Pompeii was about 10km away. In Herculaneum, the searing heat of the surge caused the people living there to die an instant death due to thermal shock. Their flesh and muscle tissue got vaporised, leaving only the skeletons remaining. The skeletons left provide us a good insight into the lives of the Romans before the volcano erupted. In Pompeii, the pyroclastic surge killed most of the inhabitants immediately, due to the burning hot air that burntRead MoreHouse of the Vetti and House of t he Fawn Essay2749 Words   |  11 Pagesspirits of the woodland which the Romans associated with Pan and Stayrs and the followers of the Greek God Dionysos. This explains that the family were educated to know about Greek myth showing â€Å"High Greek Culture† and â€Å"Roman Cultural Capital.† The House of the Fawn represented the elitist in Pompeii. The owners, which are unknown, would have been the political and monetary elite in Pompeii, and it is suggested that Publius Cornelius Sulla, leader of the Roman Colony in 80 BC owned it but it hasRead MoreArt History7818 Words   |  32 Pagesabout 20 years o Neolithic Period Ââ€" New Stone Age #61607; Begins around 9,000BC #61607; Neolithic Revolution • Agriculture o Allows people luxury of staying in one place; stability and performance o Cornerstone of civilization • Domestic Architecture o Wigwam, Huts, Lean-tos o Native American Indians were considered Neolithic • Refined tools o Spears, Bows and Arrows • Domesticated Animals o Hallmark of luxury, stability, and permanence • Pottery Ââ€" clay art o Bowls and containers