5 Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Houses and Villas at Pompeii

Description: Roman Architecture (HSAR 252) Professor Kleiner discusses domestic architecture at Pompeii from its beginnings in the fourth and third centuries BC to the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. She describes the plan of the ideal domus italica and features two residences that conform to that layout. She then presents the so-called Hellenized domus that incorporates elements of Greek domestic architecture, especially the peristyle court with columns. The primary example is the famous House of the Faun with its tetrastyle atrium, double peristyles, and floor mosaic of the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius of Persia at Issus, a Roman copy of an original Greek painting. She concludes by highlighting the suburban Villa of the Mysteries and notes the distinction between plans of Roman houses and those of Roman villas. Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: open.yale.edu This course was recorded in Spring 2009.