To understand fully the Roman standards of living, we need to compare Pompeii with Rome, the Eternal city. Pompeii and Herculaneum are museums to prove the high standard of living in third rate towns during the first century of the Roman empire. At Pompeii three municipal baths, two theatres, a basilica for the law-courts, a temple of Jupiter, and an amphitheater are luxurious public buildings for any town of 20,000 people in any age. The shops, the taverns, the bakeries, and the houses reinforce the picture of a solid comfort and prosperity. The House of Pansa is 319 feet by 124, that of the Dancing Faun is 262 feet by 115, and these are big houses for any town or city.
All Pompeian houses face inward.
When you walk into the House of Pansa today you come first into the atrium. This is a tall room with an opening to the sky in the center of the roof. Beneath the opening is a rectangular pool to catch the rain-water. At the sides are rooms opening off the atrium, At the back is a room called the tablinum. This was a step above the atrium and could be closed off from it by curtains.