The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-12-30
THE PEOPLES DAILY LIFE IN THE
CITY OF ROME.
How CAESARS Country mon Dined and Slept
The Famous Luxurious Baths and
Dwellings -Parior. Bath Room.
Kitchen and Dining Room.
Boston Herald Book Review.l

lIoNtOn fttFau DoOh NoNicWsl
The Roman house at first was OK
tremely simple. being of but one room
called the atrium, or darkened chamber,
because its walls were stained by the
smoke that rose from the fire upon the
hearth and with difficulty found its way
through hole in the roof, The aperture
also admitted light and rain, the water
that dripped from the roof being caught
In a cistern that was formed In the mid
die of the room. The atrium was
entered by way of 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 ostium.
There was threshold, upon which 1t
was unlucky to place the left foot;
knocker afforded means of announcing
ones approach and a porter. who had
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 the representation of the faith
full domestic animal which has so long
been the companion as we'll as the pro-
tector of his human friend Perhaps
myrtle or laurel might be seen on door.
indicating that marriage was in process
of celebration, or o chaplet announcing
tho happy birth of an heir. cypress,
probably set in nots in the vestibnle. In
dictated death, as 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 time
wings were built on the sides-and the
Romans called them wings as well as we
(ala. a wing Beyond the black room a
recess was built in which the family
records and archives were preserved. but
with it, for a long period, the Roman
house stopped its growth
The dining room, called the triclinium
Greek, kline, bed from its three
couches, was very important apartment.
In it were three lounges surrounding a
| table. on each of which three guests
| might be accommodated The couches
were elevated above the table. and each
! man lay almost fiat on his breast, resting
/ on his left elbow. and having his right
hand free to use, thus putting the head of
one near the breast of the man behind
1 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 the
Graces nor more than the Muses. though
it has remained useful one ever since.
PARLoR AND BATHROOM.
Spacious saloons or parlors were added
| 40 the houses, some of which were sur
rounded with galleries and highly adorned.
! In these the dining tables were spread on
/ occasions of more ceremony than usual.
| After the capture of Syracuse, and the
| 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 neces
sitv. before the republic came to an end.
| il was so fashionable to have book room
that ignorant persons who might not be
| able to read even the titles of their own
books endeavored to give themselves the
appearance of eruditiOn bv building book
rooms in their houses and furnishing them
| with elegance The books were in cases
arranged around the walls in a convenient
| manner and busts and statues of the
| MUSES., of Minerva, and of men of note
were used then as they are now for orna
ments. House philosophers were otter
| employed to open to the uninstructed the
stores of wisdom contained in the libra
ries
As wealth and luxury increased. the
Romans added the bathroom to their
other apartments. In the early ages they
had bathed for comfort and cleanliness
once week. hut the warm bath was appar
emily unknown to them. In time this be
came very common, and in the days Of
(icero there were hot and cold baths
both public and private, which were vel
patronized Some were heated by fire.
in fues. directly under the floor, which
produced vapor bath. The bath was
however, considered luxury. ard at ,
later date it was held a capital offense tt
indulge in one on religious holiday
and the public baths were closed wher
any misfortune happened to the republic
IN THE KITCHEN.
Comfort and convenience united to TAX,
the cooking out of the atrium (which
then became reception-room) into {
separate apartment known as the culina
or kitchen, in which was raised platform
on which Goals might be burned and tn,
processes of baking. boiling and roasting
might be carried on in primitive manner
much like the arrangements still to b.
seen at Rome On the tops of the houses
after while terraces were planned fol
the purpose of basking in the sun. ant
sometimes they we're furnished will
shrubs. fruit trees and even fish ponds
Often there were upward of fifty room
in house on single floor: but in tn
course of time land became so valuable
that other stories were added and man,
lived in fats
The floors of these rooms were some
times, but not often. lad with boards
and generally were formed of stone, tiles
bricks or some sort of cement In tn
richer dwellings they were often inlai,
with mosaics of elegant pattern TIL
walls were often faced with marble, bu
they were usually adorned with paintings
the ceilings were left uncovered, tn
beams supporting the floor of the roo
above being visible though it was fire
quently arcbed over. The means of light
fective The atrium was, as we hav
seen, lighted from above. and the sam
was true of other apartnents-those q
, the side being illuminated from the large
ones in the middle of the house Their
were windows. however, in the uppe
, stories. though they were not protecte
by glass. but covered with shutters Q
/ lattice work. and. at later period. wer
glazed with sheets Of mica Smokin
lamps hanging from the ceiling or SUI
ported by candelabra. or candles. gave
gloomy light by night in the houses. an
torches without
a 1t is said that there are Iwice as man
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