The ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried under the ashes of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., have been remarkably preserved over time, providing a unique opportunity to explore ancient Roman architecture and construction techniques.
Extraordinary constructions that have withstood centuries of rain, weather, earthquakes and even the most terrifying eruption in history. So one wonders, how were these houses built to stand for centuries and still give us a window into the ancient Roman world?
The typical Pompeian house was a solid and mighty construction with a rectangular plan, solidly built on one floor with tufa bricks or concrete mixed with sand, gravel, water and cement.
Very often lava stone, from towns surrounding Vesuvius, was also used. Lava stone was plentiful and was used for the construction of solid and strong foundations. Bricks, on the other hand, were made locally and used for the walls and floors of houses. Roofs, on the other hand, were made of wood and tiles.
If you want to know just about everything about ancient Roman houses I recommend on your visit to Pompeii or Herculaneum to be guided by an experienced tour guide. You will be able to know and explore all the details of these wonderful cities.
The excavation in Regio IX bears witness to how houses were made
The most important evidence of the use of these materials comes not only from examining the products with which ancient dwellings were built, but also from the important finds unearthed during excavations.
Just like the latest one, from March 2024, carried out in Regio IX, insula 10, from which new information about Roman construction has emerged. Excavations carried out in the Pompeii domus reveal materials, equipment and site systems used in the restoration of ancient houses. It is as if time stood still here, allowing scientists to analyze the raw materials and the materials from which they were built.
From the excavation, in fact, not only working tools, but also tiles, tuff bricks and lime piles emerged. These are probably remnants of a construction site still in progress when the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD occurred.
The technique used to build the houses
The excavation carried out in this Regio provided insight into the materials used to make the masonry. But it has also opened a relevant window into the techniques used to build the solid houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
In fact, examination of the materials shows that quicklime was first mixed dry with other components, such as pozzolan (i.e., volcanic ash), earthenware, and sand. And then, before laying, hydrated with water. This means that, during the construction of the wall, the lime mixture was still warm due to the thermal reaction taking place and consequently dried more quickly, shortening the time for the entire construction. Differently when it came to plastering the walls, it seems that the lime was first slaked and then mixed to be spread.
The excavation in the Pompeii domus is also bringing to light the tools used in the construction of the dwellings, these being an axe, a billhook and a ladle. All strictly made of iron.
This excavation has confirmed and strengthened the studies carried out to date on the materials used anciently for the construction of ancient Roman houses. And it also helped uncover the technique for making them.
Heating and lighting in old houses
But let us come to another considerable aspect that characterizes the ancient houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum and that has attracted the curiosity not only of scientists and archaeologists , but also of the many tourists who crowd the streets of these ancient cities every day. Let’s talk about how the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum heated themselves in ancient times and how they lit their homes.
The typical Roman heating system was hypocausts. That is, a large masonry furnace fueled with wood or charcoal, which circulated heat through a channel that reached the floor of the house. In this way all rooms were easily heated.
But not only the ancient inhabitants also used braziers for heating themselves. The first ones were made entirely of earthenware, but over time they also specialized in the construction of braziers made of iron, bronze, copper, and silver. Several, in fact, are the braziers found during excavations in the ancient houses of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Lighting, on the other hand, was provided both through the large windows that illuminated all rooms in the house, and and with candles and oil lamps.
While candles were used in the wealthier domus, because they were made of beeswax, a valuable material owned only by those who had bee farms or for those who bought them from those who already owned them.
In contrast, oil lamps, were used by the poor as well as the rich. They were fed with oil, sometimes olive oil, but also walnut, sesame, castor or fish oil and probably mineral oils.
