The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-22
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE.
Domestic Designs Which Preceded the
Err OF Public Grarlsirur.

Es1s OF Public Grandeur.
So great has been the destruction in
Rome of many palaces and public monu-
ments, even within the first three centu-
rleS OF cur era and of course much more
so since, that it is very difficult even TO
trace the plans of some of the more i'm
portant which were known 20 have ex-
listed, though it is impossible 20 make ex-
cavationS anywhere in the sacred city
without coming upon strata after strata Of
houses erected at various periods To
study her domestic architecture. there
fore, we have TO go to Pompeii, a second
or even a third rate city, perhaps, but
which, by provision OF nature. has been
preserved In great part down to our owa
day.
1t Is true that all the roofs and vaults
are gone, and of the wallsonly from ten 70
twelve feet remain, but with these and the
description of various authors it is possible
TO reconstruct IN our imagination the gen
eral appearance of the city before il was
overwhelmed by the last fatal eruption of
Nesuvlus IN the year A. ID. 20, which buried
the city IN shower of ashes, pumice and
stone IN layer twelve TO fourteen feet
deep. OF the temple and other public
buildings 1t Is not worth speaking. as they
are of far less Importance than those in
Rome and elsewhere, but of the private
houses and villas Of the upper and lower
classes there exists an inexhaustible sup
ply, from which the following general ar
TangementS can be summarized,
The more important houses were divided
into two parts, the public and the private
portion. OF the former an entrance vesti-
bule led to the atrium, a large hall open in
the center to the sky, the covered portion
having a roof sometimes supported by
columns surrounding the impluvium IA
marble basin under the compluvium, or
open space in the roof Round the atrium.
auC lighted from it were a series of cham
bers, sleeping rooms for the male guests,
recesses for conversation and the tablinum
or sitting room.
The private portion consisted of a peri
style around an open court. in which there
was a small garden; the triclinium or din
ing room; the pinacotheca or picture room;
the bibiiotheca or library, and suites of
small chambers used as bedrooms Be
side these there was generally court sur
rounded by the offices, the kitchen. bake
house and storerooms. All these rooms de-
rived their light from the internal courts.
Nilt SAtCilOi Vi tLS DlOCk FORMING the mousse
being invariably occupied 10y shops. in
which sometimes the lord Of the mansion
kept retainers, who sold the produce of his
farms and lands
From the walls which still remain erect.
we find that they were all richly decorated
in color, painted in arabesqHe and occa-
sionally with landscapes, figure subjects
and wreaths of flowers; the columns were
of marble or painted in imitation. and the
floors inlaid with mosaic or with small
pieces of marble set in cement The roofs.
being all in wood have persisted. bur their
coverings in tiles, with the various orna-
ments on the ridges Of the roofs, are still
found in the excavations. Such portions
OF Hercuianeum-a town close by-as il has
been found possible to excavste Che lava
which overwhelmed il being of great hard
ness shows even finer work than at Pom
pei, and those remains which occasionally
are found in Rome show far higher quail
ity of work than that found in either OF
these cities.-Cassell's New Popular EdI-
Gator