Roman Insulae (Apartment Houses)
In big cities, most Romans lived in apartment buildings
we call insulae (IN-sue-lie), or islands (because they often took up
a whole city block). During the 100's AD,
there were almost 50,000 apartment buildings in Rome (mostly with many
families living in them), and fewer than 2000 private houses.
At first insulae were usually built of wood. They were usually three
or four storeys high.
Ostia (can you see where the balconies would have been?)
Later, because of the risk of fire,
insulae were more often built of brick.
We have many insulae preserved to look at today, especially in the Roman
port town of Ostia, near Rome. There are also insulae at Pompeii, and
at Italica in Spain.
Which would you rather live in, an insula or a house? Why? Suppose you were a slave?
To find out more about Roman insulae, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
City : A Story of Roman Planning and Construction, by David Macaulay (1983). For kids - brilliant!
Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World, by Alexander McKay (1998). For historians, by a specialist.
The City in the Greek and Roman World, by E. J. Owens (1992). Also by a specialist, about town planning.
Main Roman Architecture page
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