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stokehole<br />
Activity Box<br />
Roman Life – Homes<br />
Hypocaust system<br />
round tiles<br />
floor<br />
Read your notes on Roman life in their homes and answer these questions.<br />
1. Why did thousands of poor Romans live<br />
in insulae?<br />
2. Why were hypocausts used in northern<br />
Europe?<br />
3. Who was responsible for bringing water to<br />
the household?<br />
4. What did the Romans have for street<br />
lighting?<br />
5. What kind of patterns were found on the<br />
floors of wealthy homes?<br />
wall flue<br />
pillars of tiles<br />
The Romans had central heating<br />
systems called ‘hypocausts’. They<br />
were mainly found in the colder parts of<br />
the Roman Empire. A network of<br />
channels using bricks, tiles or concrete<br />
was constructed under a house, usually<br />
the villa, of a wealthy Roman. A furnace<br />
was continually fed with wood by a<br />
household slave. The warm air circulated<br />
under the floor and passed along ducts<br />
in the walls before escaping under the<br />
eaves. Granaries in Roman provinces in<br />
the colder and damper parts of northern<br />
Europe were long buildings in which<br />
grain was stored. The grain was spread<br />
out on the floor and the hypocaust system<br />
underneath dried it out before it was<br />
stored for future use.<br />
7. What did shepherds live in during the<br />
earliest days of <strong>Rome</strong>?<br />
8. Why did Roman builders have to build upwards?<br />
9. Which word means a kind of open stove?<br />
10. Why do you think glass windows were usually<br />
only used in upper rooms?<br />
Viewing Sample<br />
6. In which room were guests welcomed to<br />
the house?<br />
Prim-Ed Publishing www.prim-ed.com <strong>Ancient</strong> <strong>Rome</strong> – 35 –
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