Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-12-18
In THE OLD DAYS.
THE PEOPLES DAILY LIFE IN THE
CITY OF ROME.
How C@sAr's Countrymen Dinsd and Slept
Tho Famous Luxurious Baths and
Dwellinss-ParlOr Bath-ROOm,
Kitchen and DInIng-ROOm.
Iposton Herald pook RevIew.l

a III ia III 9NAlAAgA ~ hAAk
smoke that rose from the fire upon the
hearth and with difficulty found its way
through a hole in the roof. The aperture
also admitted light and rain. the water
that dripped from the roof being caught
in a cislern that was formed in the mil.
die of the room. The atrium was
entered by way of a vestibule open TO the
sky. in which the gentleman of the house
put ON his toga as he went out Double
doors admitted the visitor to the entrance
hall or 0stium-
There was a threshold. upon which It
was unlucky TO place the left foot: a
knocker afforded means of announcing
ones approach, and a porter. who bad a
small room at the side, opened the door.
showing the caller the words Cave canon
beware of the dog. or Salve (welcome.
or perchance the dog himself reached out
toward the visitor as far as his chain
would allow. Sometimes. too, there
would be noticed in the mosaic Of the
pavement Il Q representation of the faith
full domestic animal which has so long
been the companion as well as the pro.
tector Of lis human friend Perhaps
myrtle or laurel might be seen on a door.
indicating that a marriage was in process
of celebration, or a chaplet announcing
the happy birth of IN heir. Cypress,
probably set in nots in the vestibnle, in
dictated a death, as a Grape festoon does
upon our own door handles, while torches
lamps, wreaths. ~garlands, branches OF
trees. showed that there was joy from
some cause in the house.
THE ''CoNvENIENCEs'.
In the "black room" the bed stood;
there the meals were cooked and eaten,
there the goodman received his friends,
and there the goodwife sat in the midst
of her maidens spinning. The original
house grew larger In the course Of fine;
wings were built on the sides-and the
Romans called them wings as well as we
(ala, a wing. Beyond the black o a
recess was built. in which the family
records and archives were preserved, but
with II, for a long period, the Roman
house stopred its growth.
The dining room. called the triclinium
Greek, kline, a bedl from its three
couches, was o very important apartment
In it were three lounges surrounding q
table. on each of which three guests
might be accommodated. The couches
were elevated above the table, and each
man Law almost fiat on his breast. resting
on his left elbow. and having his right
hand free to use, thus putting the head oil
one near the breast of the man behind
him, and making natural the expression
that he lay in the bosom of the other.
AS the guests were thus arranged by
threes, it was natural that the rule should
have been made that a party at dinner
should not be less in number than thu
Graces nor more than the MUSES.. though
it has remained a useful one ever since.
PARLnR AND BATHROOM.
Spacious saloons or parlors were addet
to the houses. some of which were sur
rounded with galleries and highly adorned
In these the dining tables were spread o.
occasions of more ceremony than usual
After the capture of Syracuse. and tn
increase Of familiarity with foreign art
picture rooms were built in private dwell
ings, and after the second Punic war
book rooms became in some sort a neces
sity. before the republic came to an end
1t was so fashionable to have a book room
that ignorant persons who might not b,
able to read even the titles of their owl
books e~ndeavored to give themselves thu
appearance of erudition bv building bool
rooms in their houses and furnishing then
with elegance. The books were IN case
arranged around the walls in a convenien
manner, and busts and statues of tn
MUSES., of Minerva. and Of men of not
were used then as they are o for orna
ments. House philosophers were oftel
employed to open to the uninstructed tn
stores of wisdom contained in the libra
ries
AS wealth and luxury increased. tn
Romans added the bathroom to thei
other apartments. In the early ages the
had bathed for comfort and cleanliness
once a week, hut the warm bath was appal
emily unknown to them. In time this b.
came very common, and in the days 9
Cicero there were hot and cold baths
both public and private, which were We
patronized. Some were heated by fire
in fues, directly under the floor, whic
produced a vapor bath. The bath wa
however. considered a luxury. and at
later date it was held a capital otfense t
indulge in one on a religious holiday
and the public baths were closed whe
any misfortune happened to the republic
IN n KITCHEN.
Comfort and convenience united to tax
the cooking out of the atrium (whic
then became u reception-room) into
separate apartment known as the culint
or kitchen, in which was a raised platforl
on which erals might he burned and ii
processes of baking. boiling and roastin
might be carried on in a primitive name
much like the arrangements still to
) seen at Rome. On the tops of the house
after a while, terraces were planned fl
the purpose of basking in the sun. al
sometimes they were furnished wi
} shrubs, fruit trees and ven fish. pond
Often there were upward Of fifty room
| in a house on a single floor; but in Il
course of time land became so valuab
that other stories were added, and mar
lived in fats.
The floors Of these rooms were som
' times, but not often. laid with board
and generally were formed of stone, tile
bricks, or some sort Of cement In u
I richer dwellings they were often inla'
! with mosaics of elegant pattern II
. walls were often faced with marble. b.
| they were usually adorned with painting
the ceilings were left uncovered, u
beams supporting the floor OF the 70
: above being visible, though 1t was II
] quently arched over. The means OF hgt
! ing, either by day or night, were q
fective The atrium was, as we ha
3 seen. lighted from above, and the sar
was true of other Observation-Disclosures
, the side being Illuminated from the larg
ones in the middle of the house. The
were windows, however, in the upI
stories. though they were not protect
hu olass Init covered with shutters