Transcript ENGLISH HOUSES.

ROMAN HOUSES AND
VILLAS
 Roman Houses and Villas
 There was a significant difference between the south-
eastern half of Britannia (the Roman name for Britain)
and the north-western region. In the south-east Roman
style country homes known as villas were established. In
the north and west of Britain, few villas have been found.
 Not all Romans lived in villas. The majority of people
living in the country lived in houses in the style of the
celtic houses. These houses were usually round and
made of timber and thatched.
 Did you know?
 Only one percent of people in Roman Britain lived in
villas.
How do we know what Roman
houses were like?
 A lot of building material has survived from the Roman
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period, but mainly for buildings constructed of stone and
tile. There is little evidence of wattle and daub buildings,
which are thought to have been used throughout the
Roman period.
Roman houses, especially ones belonging to rich people,
were so well built that the remains of villas and even
towns have been found.
We can tell from these finds that:
the Romans were good builders
most people of Roman Britain lived in the countryside
rich Romans living in the country, lived in villas and
everyone else lived in huts.
Some people lived in the towns
DRAWINGS
 Drawings
 Using the evidence found, artists make drawings of what
Roman houses may have looked like. Our understanding of
what Roman houses were like change each year as more
evidence is uncovered.
 Below you can see three drawings of the Roman Villa at
Lullingstone. They were drawn or painted at different times but
show what the villa may have looked like around AD 360. Each
one is slightly different, reflecting the changing information and
opinions about how the site may have looked - as well as
different artistic styles.
 In the first painting the view is from above, as a bird might see
it. The walls are not plastered and there is a court yard next to
the central rooms. The second painting does not have a front
entrance up a ramp or steps as the other two have.
 None of these illustrations are 'right' - each is a separate
attempt at picturing the past.
HEATING
 Rich Roman houses had central
heating which was under the floors. This
heating system was called a hypocaust.
The floors were supported on stacks of
tiles (pilae) and hot air was circulated
under the floor from a furnace stoked
outside the building.
What was a rich Romans house
like?
 Wealthy Roman citizens in the towns lived in a
domus. They were single-storey houses which
were built around a courtyard known as an
atrium. Atriums had rooms opening up off of
them and they had no roofs.
 A rich Roman house had many rooms including
kitchen, bath, dining, bedrooms and rooms for
slaves.
 A long covered porch, or verandah, with a low
wall and pillars, was built along the front of the
house to keep the rooms cool in the summer.
Sample Plan of a Roman House
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A atrium
formal entrance hall
A lala "wings" opening from atrium
C cubiculum small room; bedroom
Cu culina kitchen
E exedra garden room
P peristylium colonnaded garden
T taberna shop
Ta tablinum office; study
Tri triclinium dining room
V vestibulum entrance hall
Where did poor Romans live?
 Poor Romans lived in simple flats. These
were called insulae . They often only
contained one or two rooms. There was
no running water.
How did the Romans get their
running water?
 Lead pipes brought water to the rich
people houses. The pipes were taxed
according to size, The larger the pipes
the more the tax. Archaeologists can
usually tell the wealth of an owner of a
Roman house by simply looking at the
size of the lead pipes that brought water
to that house.
Roman Baths
 Every town had its own bath complex (like a
large swimming pool). There were 170 baths in
Rome during the reign of Augustus and by 300
A.D that number had increased to over 900
baths.
 The Romans loved washing and bathing. People
went to the public baths (Thermae) for
entertainment, healing or just to get clean. Big
Roman villas also had their own baths.
 There are still Roman baths in the city of Bath, in
Somerset.
The layout of a Roman Bath
 There were usually three bathrooms - a
warm one, a hot one, where slaves
would rub their masters all over with
sweet oil, and a big cold bath to swim in.
Remains of part of the Bath House
at the roman town of Chester
Towns in Roman Britain
What were Roman buildings made
of?
 Buildings were made of stone and brick.
They were so well built that we have
been able to excavate many Roman
buildings and even towns.
Motte and Bailey Castles
The term motte and bailey castle comes
from Norman French words for mound and
enclosed land. The Normans from France
introduced this kind of castle to England
when they invaded the country in 1066.
 Motte - mound or 'clod of earth'
Bailey - enclosure.
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How were Motte and Bailey Castles
built?
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First a huge mound (the motte), rather like
a vast upside down pudding bowl, was
built. The main fort called a keep was built
on top.
 The sides of the motte were so steep that it
would have been impossible to run up them. A
deep ditch was dug around the bottom of the
motte which made it even more difficult to attack.
 At the bottom of the motte, a smaller mound
was built for all the horses and cattle and people
who weren't going to be based in the fortress
itself. They put a strong wooden fence
(palisade) around that and called it a bailey.
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 Inside the bailey were various buildings for the
people who lived and worked in the castle,
including stables, storehouses, bakeries,
kitchens, cottages, and quarters for soldiers.
 The bailey was surrounded by a ditch, called a
fosse.
 The leader of the Normans was called William.
When William won the Battle of Hastings, he
earned himself the title 'Conqueror'. He marched
to London and was crowned King in
Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.
There were motte and bailey castles all over England
and along the frontier of Wales. Many of England's
existing castles began as motte and bailey castles.
Why did stone castles replace the
motte and bailey castles?
 Timber, one of the two materials from which
motte and bailey castles were built (the other
being earth), was perishable (rots) and, more
importantly, vulnerable to fire. A more durable
and resistant medium was required and that
was provided by stone.
 Compared to the motte and bailey, stone
castles were larger taller and more reliable for
defence purposes. They gave better protection
against attack, fire and cold rainy weather.
What was the first castle built by
William (King William 1)?
 Windsor Castle was the first in a series
of nine castles that England's King
William built around London.
When was stone used to build
castles?
 During the 12th century many castles
were improved and strengthened. The
methods of attacking and besieging
castles had improved and so there was a
need for stronger, more durable (longer
lasting) defences.
 The timber defences of motte and bailey
castles were replaced by walls and
towers of stone.
What castle is the biggest in
England?
 The biggest castle in England is Windsor
Castle, one of the three homes of the
Queen. It is said to be the largest
inhabited fortress in the world.
What is the biggest castle in World?
 The biggest castle in the world, at about
570 meters length and an average of
about 130 meters wide, is Prague
Castle, the castle in Prague.
What were the earliest Castles
like?