Ancient Roman houses—at least those of the wealthy—were built not just for comfort but also to impress. Many design elements and “tricks” were employed to enhance or hide specific parts of the house from the gaze of visitors. This aspect of Roman architectural design, though known to scholars from historical records, is a challenge to study from existing ruins. But now researchers have reconstructed a Pompeii home in virtual reality to study and analyze this optical display element of Roman house design by tracking the eye movement of volunteers. Their research has been published in the journal Antiquity.
Designing to Impress in Roman House Design
The researchers cite literary sources that establish gaze-fixing as being a prime motivation of Roman domestic architecture. To understand the way in which the Romans designed their houses, scholars have studied the remains of the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum from this perspective. They have found that optical axiality was indeed of great significance in the Roman house design and had a socio-political function.
“Work and daily activities were intermingled during the day,” said Danilo Marco Campanaro, a PhD candidate from Lund University and co-author of the research. “The house communicated to people about the personal power and status of the owner and his family.”
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