PART I HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF FURNITURE IN ANCIENT ERA.pdf

By: Surashmie Kaalmegh
Dept. of Interior Design
Associate. Prof. LAD College
Nagpur.
:EVOLUTION OF FURNITURE :
BACKGROUND AND BASIS

AND EVERYTHING else …. EVOLVED OVER THAT
PERIOD OF HISTORY……….
WHICH CONTAINS LIVING AND NON- LIVING
ENTITIES WHICH EVOLVED AS THE PLANET
AGED …
THE PERIOD WHICH HAS GONE IS……….
HISTORY

CLEANING , WRITING ,
CUTTING,
DRAWING,CLIMBING ,
COOKING , CARRYING,
BUILDING , FILLING ,
SITTING ,
HUNTING, HITTING ,
CLIMBING ETC.
TO LIVE ……..
HE HAD TO
SURVIVE AND TO
SURVIVE HE HAD
TO …
PERFORM TASKS
AND ADAPT /
ADOPT TO THE
…………
ENVIRONMENT ?

 CAPACITY: UNDERSTOOD
IMPORTANCE OF SIZES ,
DIMENSIONS, CROWDING,
SPACIOUSNESS
 BALANCE AND
STABILITY :
UNDERSTOOD USE OF
RESOURCES AND
CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES
BY OBSERVATION,
HE IMPROVISED AND INNOVATED
SUBSEQUENTLY AND STILL DOES  COMFORT: UNDERSTOOD
REACHES FOR EASE OF
WORK , ACCOMPLISHING
TASKS,
He learnt from
Nature. how ????
 SPACE : UNDERSTOOD SPACE AND
ACTIVITY , IMPORTANCE OF AESTHETICS
TOO .
 FUNCTION:
ADAPT DESIGN TO SUIT THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR WHICH
INTENDED AND TO REMOVE THE
EXTRA
 POWER / AUTHORITY :
UNDERSTOOD HEIGHTS GAVE A
SENSE OF POWER AUTHORITY ,
SAFETY AND BETTER VIEW

LEARNING BY OBSERVATION :
From the surrounding environment He learnt type of techniques and concepts .
He evolved and established principles and guilds ,styles , aesthetics ,
proportions over centuries throughout the history of civilization.
WEAVE
STRETCH / FILL
JOIN / BIND
STITCH
CONSTRUCT AND MOULD
BUILD
CUSHION / SOFTEN
HOLLOW OUT

• The definition of civilization, like that of many historical terms,
varies from source to source. Throughout Essential Humanities, “civilization”
simply means urban culture;
--------a culture with at least one city is considered a civilization.
• Essential Humanities defines the term city as a settlement with a population
of at least ten thousand.
• The term culture is defined by Essential Humanities as “the distinctive
features of a group that are learned rather than biological”. Language,
artistic traditions, and religious beliefs all fall under this definition.
• Language is often the primary identifying feature of a culture; in European
history, for instance, the Celts were people who spoke Celtic languages, the
Greeks were people who spoke Greek, and so on.
/
http://www.essential-humanities.net/history-overview/world-history-timeline
THROUGH HISTORY …….. OF CIVILIZATION -----
FURNITURE ???????????

Every built and
inhabited space
created by man
like the dwelling, is
made usable by
equipping it with
Furniture
Function ,Comfort
and Aesthetics
The evolution of spatial
organization of interiors
To learn ………
1. about its origins,
2. Reason behind its
existence or necessity ,
3. its design, its features
and components,
4. techniques used,
embellishments given,
5. treatments used for
preservation,
6. materials used and
finishes and
7. how it evolved and was
ultimately used / disuse.
WHY AND WHAT IN
HISTORY?
+

..the social divide very
prominently……….
Possessing furniture: Throughout its
evolutionary trail in the history of
civilizations there is evidence of …
Rich
Poor
Nobles /
royalty
Peasants /
slaves
Superior
status / rank
Inferior
status /
rank

Furniture was a status symbol in politics, in societies.
It represented wealth of the owner, a prized possession
And hence creativity , selection of materials, preparation ,
ornamentation and finishing of furniture , all this became a
craft and art in many societies.
As civilizations evolved evidence shows that…………

Furniture evolved along with & due to
• patronage & societal setup
• Architecture and material
• lifestyles and activities
• Costumes and fashion
• Music and entertainment
• Technical expertise &
• Technological advancements

So what are the Resources for these evidences ?:
•Artefacts
•Depicted
through paintings
•Relief carvings
•Actual pieces
•Written
descriptions
•Illustrations and
drawings

Importance of studying
furniture history
 Idea of settlement of society
 Item of luxury
 Treasure trove
 Imitating art forms
 An Art form itself
 Level of culture and education
 Indication of social status
 Technological aspect
 Personal statement
 Attitude towards furniture
 Indicator of social concepts
 Geographical divide

BROAD TIMELINE OF HISTORY
http://lunecramoisie.blogspot.com/2016/10/introduction-to-prehistory-early.html

Looking at this timeline one can see
many civilizations were concurrent

History of furniture :
The major styles and periods
Prehistory
Ancient
Classical and
medieval
Period and
movements
Oriental and
Modern
Circa 3000 BC

TIME LINE OF FURNITURE DESIGN HISTORY
WE START HERE WE END HERE OR DO WE??

Major aspect :The divide in history of
furniture
The Orient
The West
Furniture was non-existent, felt unnecessary
and hence evolved slowly compared to the
west .less developed and examples.

The Ancient civilizations
 Egypt
 Mesopotamia
 Crete
 Greece
 Rome
 Byzantium

The classical and medieval civilizations
 Gothic
 Rennaissance
 Baroque
 Period Styles
 Furniture
designers /
Modern
Different countries from Europe and designers from these countries are known
for the development. Mostly at the forefront was England / Italy / France /
Germany. Thus designs spread all over the world via trade and other methods
even to the Americas

PART I TO III
THE ANCIENT WORLD
Part I: Egypt

Associate Prof. LAD College
Nagpur.
PART I EGYPT

Timeline of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt's great
civilization spanned thousands of
years, from c. 3000 B.C. until the
annexation by Rome in 30 B.C.E.
 6000 1st inhabitants in Nile
Delta
 2900 Menes unites Upper
and Lower Egypt.
 2750The Old Kingdom
established capital Memphis.
 2560 Khufu (Cheops) builds
the Great Pyramids of Giza.
 2050The Middle Kingdom
established capital -Thebes.
 1750The Hyksos, a group of
Semitic-Asiatics, invade and
rule Egypt.
 1550The Hyksos expelled
and the New Kingdom
established.
 1500Queen Hatshepsut expands
south (Nubia) & east (Palestine).
 712 Egypt invaded from the south by
the Nubian Empire,
 670Assyrians conquer Egypt
 525The Persian Empire conquers
Egypt.
 343Nectanebo II, the last Egyptian-
born pharaoh, dies.
 332Alexander of Macedonia invades
Egypt.
 331The city of Alexandria is
established and the Macedonian
general Ptolemy begins new dynasty.
 51The Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra
VII rules Egypt, assisted by Julius
Caesar.
 30Cleopatra commits suicide, and
Egypt is annexed by the Roman
Empire

Egypt : Glimpses
 Desert land
 Sparse flora
and fauna
 developed
along Nile
 Mud the chief
bldg. material
 Flat landscape
 Desert storms
 Hot climate

Deir el Medina as it
looked in the New
kingdom

The beliefs: life after Death
Social customs and ceremony

 The size and
appearance
of an
Egyptian
house
depended on
the family's
wealth
& the location
of the building.
The few furnishings in the ancient Egyptian
home were simple in design, although
the craftsmanship varied
Activities :
daily and other

The types of dwellings
Built form and
interiors

Lamps were used to light the house. They
were, for the most part, simple pottery or stone
bowls containing oil and a wick.
Their food was stored in wheel-made
pottery.
•They enjoyed good
food, drink, music,
singing, and dancing
They used tables, which were
often low, for eating and working.

The ancient Egyptians did not have cupboards.
They used wooden boxes or baskets to store
household goods.
The ancient Egyptians
played a number of
board games, the most,
popular being senet.

A canapic jar
Furniture owned by the elite was of the
highest quality and furniture was often
veneered and painted with vibrant
colors depicting aspects of the life of
the owner.
Furniture was also inlaid
with Faience (Faience was
a strong greenish blue
glass-like material,
consisting of crushed
quartz, lime and alkali,
which first made in
Predynastic Egypt)
Faience was also used to
create glass storage jars
SCARABS
:
USUALLY
MADE
FROM
FAEINCE

Served as the Pharaoh's or a god's
processional chair, as on the picture
The Ancient
Egyptian
furniture
of the pharaohs
was also
overlaid with
gold
Semi-precious
stones, gold,
silver and bronze
was also used
to decorate the
fine furniture of the
Pharaoh

They used many
construction techniques used
today, including mortise-and-
tenon, butterfly and miter
joints.
King Tut-ankh-Amun's
carpenters were the first to
use metal nails in woodwork.
Ancient Egyptian
craftsmen were experts of
decorative techniques; they
decorated their furniture
pieces with wood or ivory
inlays and elaborate artwork.
Royal coffins were carved with
patterns and covered in sheets
of gold.
Tools
A
highly skilled
Egyptian
carpenter
used simple
tools
consisting of a
saw, axe,
adze, chisel,
mallet, bow
drill and
polishers.
Wood &
inlay
ivory
Inlay

Materials used
 Sycamore ,Wood
from the fig tree
 Rushes
 Mud from the Nile
was used to make
pots and jars
 Stone
 Colored fabrics
 The furniture of
wealthy Ancient
Egyptians was
inlaid with ebony
& ivory
Sycamore & fig
Rushes

 Although wood was
available in Ancient
Egypt---acacia, almond,
poplar, sycamore , cedar
and willow---much of it
was scarce or not
suitable for making
furniture, so it had to be
imported.
 Cedar was most
commonly used for fine
carpentry, and it was
brought in from what is
now Lebanon, Syria and
Turkey.
 Other woods used
included ash, beech,
maple, oak and pine
Cypress tree
Cedar tree
Ebony tree

•As with all societies the type
and style of furniture was
dictated by the wealth of the
owner.
• Ancient Egyptian furniture
was made by skilled
carpenters in workshops but
poor people made their own
furniture.
•The items of furniture found
in an Ancient Egyptian home
would include stools, beds,
lamp stands, chests and
shrines.
• Only the wealthy or royalty
possessed chairs.

Popular item - stools.
Ancient Egyptian stools were
produced in a variety of different
styles & designs & used by all
classes.
The stools produced ranged from
the simplest design to beautiful,
ornate carvings on the legs of the
stools.
The different types of stools
ranged from plain designs, flare legs
& the feet of some stools were
decorated with carvings of the feet of
animals.
The Ancient Egyptians also had
fold up stools for extra convenience.
Earthen ware benches were also
used for seating.
Stools:

The most common piece of
furniture ,the low stool, was
used by all Egyptians
including the Pharaoh.
These were made from
wood, had leather or woven
rush seats, and had three or
four legs. Usually the three-
legged stool was used
for work because floors
were uneven
A toilet seat

Chairs:
A chair fit for a king. Only
royalty and the richest
Ancient Egyptians had
chairs.
These consisted of
low, wooden frames usually
without arms.
The seats were made of
plaited cord.
The decoration of the
chairs was often highly
ornate & inlaid / overlaid with
the most precious materials.
The legs & feet of
chairs were finely carved to
resemble such things as the
paw of a lion etc.

Built from fastened
pieces of wood and
then covered in
gold sheeting or
painted gilding, the
detail was then
carved and
completed with
semi-precious
stones ...
King Tut s wife
and himself

Chests:
 The Ancient Egyptians had no
cupboards so everything was
stored in chests.
 the style of the chests - simple
to most ornate.
 The chests owned by the poor
were used to store household
items & linen.
 The treasures of the rich were
sometimes stored in the chests
which were locked with bolts
and lashed with ropes for
security.

Tables :
The Ancient Egyptians used
small tables to serve food.
Larger tables, often with just
three legs, were made of
wood but were not a common
feature.
Earthenware platforms were
built in within the house which
served as a table during the
daytime & then covered in the
night time to be used as beds.

 Beds:
The beds (poor)-- made from
bedding of rushing on the floor.
 Earthenware platforms were also
commonly used.
 The wealthy used beds & were
considered as status symbols.
 The framework for these -
made of the finest woods &
decorated.
 Most beds sloped towards the
feet & foot boards were
necessary. The base - woven
rush. Pillows - not used.

 There was a version of a fold up bed which
ensured when travelling the Pharaoh
& members of his Family would not
sleep on the floor.
 The Egyptian bed had a wooden frame
with legs often shaped like the legs
of animals;
 A woven rush mat served as
"springs." At one end of the bed was a footboard;
 At the other end, a wooden or stone headrest, which
was equivalent to a pillow was used
Detail of a leg

These headrests were highly ornate
, occasionally wrapped in the finest
linen to add to comfort.
Mosquito nets were also known
to be used similar to their fishing nets.

Summary of the style
Characteristic features:
 Visual impact
 Symbolism
 Imitating other art forms
 Excellent craftsmanship
 Monumental aspect /
huge size
 Ebony ,ivory, gold
,Redwood , Leather used
The Greek world
The Ancient Egyptians used the
following materials to make
their furniture:
Sycamore ,Wood from the fig
tree
Rushes ,Mud from the Nile was
used to make pots and jars
,Stone
Colored fabrics
The furniture of wealthy
Ancient Egyptians was inlaid
with ebony and ivory

Asstt. Prof. LAD College
Nagpur.
A
PART II GREECE

The Greek style
Minoan / Crete/
Hellenistic / Greek
civilization
Greek culture began with
the Bronze Age civilization of
the Minoans in Crete.
The Minoans built vast
palaces, and were skilled in
metalwork, pottery, artwork
and the crafting of jewelry.
Civilization on the Greek
mainland followed closely
behind that of Crete, and
Greece soon became the
cultural center of the ancient
world. 2600 -80 BC

Palace of Knossos : GRIFFIN in the THRONE ROOM AND PERSEPOLIS
GRIFFINS

• CRETE IS
AN
ISLAND.
• GREECE
CONSTITUT
ES MANY
SMALL
ISLANDS
INCLUDING
CRETE

•The landform
undulating,
MOUNTAINOUS
•Politically divided
Into small states almost
a sea kingdom

The ancient Theatre of
Epidaurus, 4th century BC
Mount Olympus,
home of the Twelve
Olympians

OCCUPATION AND SOCIAL
STRUCTURE
1. SOLDIER
2. SAILOR
3. SCULPTOR
4. FISHERMAN
5. FARMER
6. WEAVER
7. MUSICIAN
8. DANCER
9. ACTER
10.ATHLETES
11.PHYSICIAN / DOCTOR
12.TRADER/ MERCHANT
13.SMITH
14.CRAFTSMAN / CARPENTER
15.WRITER
16.MINER
17.PREIST/ PRIESTESS
18.ARCHITECT
19.TEACHER
20. GOVERNMENT JOBS
Greek men were divided into three
groups -- citizens, metics and slaves --
and employment opportunities were
largely dictated by position in the social
hierarchy.

LOWER CLASS --, known as thetes, WORKED as artisans and craftsmen.
(metal WORK - crafted weapons, eg. shields and swords. TANNERS -
leather, POTTERS -moulded clay or CARPENTERS - carved wood ETC.
supply city-dwellers with tools, utensils, furnishings and clothing. ALSO
fishermen .
MIDDLE CLASS -- farmers (own small plantations and FARMS.
HIGHER CLASS -- Greek aristocrats owned and managed large estates.
Free Men
Occupation
Metics were free, but wealthy Greeks viewed them as lower class they
weren't citizens. They served in the military and payed taxes. did humble
work that catered to the elite, eg. maintaining of estate and services such
as hunting, cooking and cleaning. Could not own farms/ property/ vote
Metics
3 classes ---
lowest --worked in mines.
Mid-level -- employed by wealthy estate owners (household servants,
treated as part of the family . performed laborious household chores, --
construction, animal upkeep, food preparation and maintenance.
highest class --served as professionals tutors ,police officials.
Slaves
Warriors were vital to city-states in their conflicts ,in defense .
All male citizens and Metics were required to serve in their military as
citizen soldiers, except in Sparta, which had a professional army and
required a deeper commitment. Citizen soldiers -- worked on own farms
during harvest time or when their service wasn't needed. Career soldiers
who served in their military full-time typically held prestigious rank in the
community.
Citizen
soldiers

The Greek society
Slavery --- 3 levels
DEMOCRACY
SPORTS
DRAMA
DEBATES

 The Greek society-- SPACES
 THEATRES,
GOVERNMENT
BUILDINGS ,
 RESIDENCES,
 MARKETS,
 AGORAS,
 ARENAS,
 TEMPLES ,
 BATHS ,
TOILETS

 Greek houses, in 6th & 5th c. BCE,
were made of two or three rooms,
built around an open air courtyard,
built of stone, wood, or clay bricks.
 Larger homes had kitchen, a room
for bathing, a men's dining room, &
a woman's sitting area.
 Single or double storeyed
 Oikos means a house/ household
or family (Confusing ?)
The house form
Andrōn, or andronitis, is
part of a Greek house
that is reserved for men,
as distinguished from the
gynaeceum, the women's
quarters.

•Ancient Greek family life in the
oikos.
men – relaxed, chatted, worked
and did story telling .
Meals enjoyed.

•Much of ancient Greek family
life centered around the
courtyard.
In courtyard, women – relaxed,
chatted & sewed
and did story telling .
Meals were also enjoyed in the
courtyard.

 Materials used:
wood and
stone,other metals
esp . Bronze and
precious stones .
 Influenced by
Egyptians that is they
adopted the x-stool
and developed the
bed as couches .

Couches / Kline/ bedstead
 Couches were
combinations of beds and
sofas. known , the Kline,
was made for sleeping +
dining
 diners would lie down rather than sit to
eat. The trend to recline originated in the
6th c. Greek couches were similar to
those of the Egyptians except for two
differences.
 1] they stood higher off
the ground,
a footstool was
sometimes used as a
means of access; &
2] there was now a
headboard but no
footboard.

 The height allowed for
easier access to tables and
also allowed room beneath
to fit tables. The headboard
was used as a means of
back support while eating.
Kline from klino (cause to
lean), from which also the word
clinic and clinical is
derived (that on which one
reclines).
It was made of wood
or bronze, and was often richly
adorned. Greek bedsteads
were exported
BEDS :

 The bedstead was provided with
girths (tonoi, epitonoi, keiria) on
which the bed or mattress (kefalon,
tuleion, koinos or tuli) rested;
instead of these girths poorer
people used strings.
The cover or ticking of a
mattress was made of linen or woollen cloth, or of leather,
and the usual material with which it was filled (to
emballomenon, pliroma, or gnafalon) was either woolor
dried weeds..
At the head part of the bed, and supported by the
epiklintron, lay a round pillow (proskefaleion) to
support the head; and in some ancient pictures
two other square pillows are seen, to support the
back

 The covers of such pillows are
striped in several pictures on
ancient vases, and were
probably of various colours
 They were undoubtedly filled
with the same materials as the
beds and mattresses.
 The bed-covers, which may be
termed blankets or
counterpanes, were called by
a variety of names, such as
peristromata, upostromata,
epiblimata, erestrides, chlainai,
amfiestrides, epibolaia,
dapides, yilodapides, custides,
xrusopastoi, tapites or
amfitapitea. The common
name, however, was stromata.

Stools:
 Two main styles of stools of
ancient Greece have survived through
reliefs. The first type looks like a small
table. The typical stool consisted of a
flat top & four straight legs. This stool
was known as a Bathron.
There was no back support and
the bottom was hard &
uncompromising.
 The second type of stool was
lightweight ,easy to carry,the X-
stool, known as the diphros
okladias, was easily movable and
did not have a specific place in the
home.

•This folding X-stool was
designed by the Egyptians. It
consisted of three animal legs
pointed inwards and ending
with lion's paws. Along with
beds, chairs, and couches,
stools were covered in piles of
fleece to increase sitting
comfort.
•The third type of stool, the
Thronos or throne, was known
only to the wealthy. The
Thronos was ornately decorated
and was lined with precious
stones.
•The footstool, which was used
for access to couches and other
high furniture, was known as
the Theyns.

Tables:
 The Greeks used tables
for food.
 & not for any other
purpose .
 Tables were low and
mostly movable,
credences & drinking
tables being often three-
legged & made of bronze
or marble or wood
 . They had 3 rather than
4 legs for better balance.
 This type of table was
the most common up till
the 4th C.BCE when
square topped tables
were replaced with round
tops.

Chests /Larnax:
 Chests were originally made
similar to those of the
Egyptian style & then took on
their own style.
 Chests were the only means
for storing clothing because
shelves were generally not
used for that purpose.
 Jewelry, coverings, and fruits
(predominantly quince) were
hidden alongside the clothing
for protection.
 Chests were also often valued
enough to be part of a wife's
dowry in the Hellenistic
period.
 Also used for Ashes .

Lectisternium.  a ceremony
A table for offerings Greek and Roman

Chairs:
 Prior to the invention of a type
of chair known as the
Klismos by the Greeks in the
5th Century BCE, chairs were
similar to those of Egypt &
Persia. These chairs had hard
stiff backs & arms.
 Even the people depicted in
paintings and friezes sitting in
these types of chairs look to
be uncomfortable.
 Not for comfort , these chairs
of the 6th & 7th Centuries BCE
were purely practical or
ceremonial in nature

The klismos:
 In 5th C. BCE --a new era in
Greek chairs.
 The Klismos - a new type of
chair. Emerged and this was
used mainly by women.
 It had delicately curved back &
legs. These features allowed the
sitter to be comfortable & a
natural position. The backs of
these chairs, known as Stiles,
were moulded to the curvature
of the back for comfort and
extended to the shoulders.
 It was made of wood & not
decorated.
 In order to increase the comfort,
cushions and animal skins were
usually placed on the Klismos.
 It's smooth and flowing shape
inspired cultures of the Middle
Ages and the early 19th C.

Furnishings & accessories
• BED CLOTHES
• CURTAINS
• RUGS / MATS
• VALANCES

 Wealthy Greeks enjoyed
the luxuries of incense
burners, vases, known
as Lebeti , as a part of
daily life.
 The vases of the
wealthy were
decorative & made of
precious or semi-
precious metals.
 These vases, Lebeti, in
addition to their
decorative purpose,
were used as water
jugs & large bowls
were made by highly
skilled workers were
ornately decorated.

Rome
In conclusion :
• Ancient Greek furniture
is still emulated in
contemporary times .
• The 5 main furniture
items in ancient Greece
were made for practicality
then, and continued to
serve their purpose and
influence furniture in the
next era.

Asso. Prof. LAD College
Nagpur.
PART III ROMAN

Roman style
Etruscan Roman
2300- 730 BC- 476 AD -1460 AD
800- 200 BC

Herculaneum : a city of the Roman Era

Herculaeum
Decumanus i.e .
An east-west
street
 The cardo was a north–
south-oriented street in
cities, military camps,
and coloniae. The
cardo, an integral
component of city
planning, was lined with
shops and vendors, and
served as a hub of
economic life.
 The main cardo was
called
cardo maximus. ...

Domus:
 Domus is the Latin term meaning
house or home. In ancient Rome,
these structures were occupied by the
wealthy and middle class freedmen
during the Republican and Imperial.
 ] Along with a domus in the city, many
of the richest families of ancient Rome
also owned a separate country house
known as a villa, much grander in
scale .
 Elite classes of Roman society
constructed their residences with
elaborate marble decorations, inlaid
marble paneling, door jambs and
columns as well as expensive
paintings and frescoes.
 many poor & lower middle class
Romans lived in crowded, dirty &
rundown rental apartments, known as
insulae. These multi-level apartment
blocks were built as high & tightly
together as possible and held far less
status , convenience than the private
homes of the prosperous.
A very primitive Domus

Scholae is a Latin word, literally meaning
"schools" that was used in the late Roman Empire
to signify a unit of Imperial Guards.
Herculaneum Schola of
Augustales

In the ancient Greco-Roman world, a
thermopolium, Greek i.e. cook-shop, literally "a
place where hot is sold", was a commercial
establishment where it was possible to purchase
ready-to-eat food. ...
Herculaneum Thermapolium
The popina was an ancient
Roman wine bar, where a limited
menu of simple foods and
selection of wines of varying
quality were available. ...
Pompeii Popina

Herculaneum House
of Opus Critticeum

Quartil
e
Area
(Sq.m.)
Average
Area
(sq.m.)
Average
open area
(sq.m.)
Rooms
per
House
Density
(rooms/are
a)
1 10 -
45.......
25....... 0........ 1.4...... 1:18
2 50 -
170.....
108....... 1........ 4.7...... 1:23
3 175 -
345.....
246....... 16........ 8.4...... 1:29
4 350 -
3000...
714....... 104........ 16.4...... 1:45
Source : Andrew Wallace-Hadrill in his book 'Houses and Society in
Pompeii and Herculaneum . www. ad79eruption/history/the-roman-
house

Quartile 1
Of these, over a third have at
least one back room or a
flight of stairs to an upper
area which the shopkeeper
and his family could have
used as living quarters.
The remainder of the
properties in the quartile are
considered to be too small to
provide any meaningful
accommodation
Two properties which belong
to this quartile (shown green
in the graphic to the right) are
the Taberna of Primilla (Reg I,
Ins 7, 4) and the corner
thermopolium (Reg I, Ins 7, 8-
9).
SHOPS OR WORKSHOPS

These generally have between two and
seven ground floor rooms and are
usually of an irregular plan due to
restrictions in space.
Almost 61% of this quartile are shops
and workshops, their plan ranging with
their size from a shop with a single back
room to a house with enough space to
provide a central circulatory space.
In the top 26% of this quartile the floor
plan becomes more regular with a
pattern of two rooms flanking the door,
an atrium with an impluvium, two rooms
facing the entrance, and, occasionally, a
small garden with rooms beyond.
In this quartile (shaded pink in the
graphic opposite) are the small, but
elegant, House of Fabius Amandus (Reg
I, Ins 7, 2-3) and, further to the east, a
medium sized officina (Reg I, Ins 7, 5).
Quartile 2

Quartile 3
This quartile includes
houses which would be
regarded as 'typical'
Pompeian houses in style.
With between five and
thirteen ground floor rooms,
the properties generally have
a more regular plan with the
top 28% having the familiar
atrium/ tablinum/garden
layout.
A substantial proportion
(60%) of the houses include
shops or workshops. Almost
half the properties in this
quartile have more than one
entrance.
The House of the Priest
Amandus belongs to this
quartile and is shown
coloured blue in the
accompanying graphic.

Quartile 4
The majority of houses in this quartile (76%)
have a traditional atrium; 64% of the
properties have bothatrium and
colonnaded peristyle; the very largest
houses (over 1,000 sq.m) may have a
second atrium or a second peristyle.
The largest houses have a considerable
numbers of ground floor rooms (20 to 26)
and are plainly designed to accommodate a
large slave household.
A feature of houses in this category is the
large number of entrances they have: 78%
have more than one entrance, while 38%
have three of more doors. A secondary
entrance may simply be a back door, but
often it reflects the fact that the house has
been formed from an amalgamation of
separate units.
The House of Paquius Proculus (Reg I, Ins
7, 1,20) belongs to this quartile (shaded light
yellow) and occupies about one quarter of
the whole insula.

THE DOMUS
The domus included multiple rooms, indoor
courtyards, gardens and beautifully painted
walls that were elaborately laid out.
The vestibulum (entrance hall) led into a
large central hall: the atrium, which was
the focal point of the domus & contained
an altar to the household gods.

Atrium : a formal entrance hall
Ala: wings opening from atrium
Exedra :
a garden
room used
for
conversation
it also
means a
garden seat
Cubiculum : small rm/ bedroom.
Taberna : Shop
Tablinium : Office / study
Triclinium : Dinning Hall
Vestibulum : entrance hall
Peristyle : a
collonnaded
garden
Culina : Kitchen

Atria were a common feature in Ancient
Roman dwellings, providing light and
ventilation to the interior.
ATRIUM

ATRIUM
Leading off the Atrium were cubicula
(bedrooms), a dining room triclinium where
guests could recline on couches & eat
dinner whilst reclining, a tablinum (living
room or study) and tabernae (shops) were
also there.

The Impluvium is the sunken part of the atrium in a Greek or Roman house.
Designed to carry away the rainwater coming through the compluvium of the roof,
it is usually made of marble and placed about 30 cm below the floor of the atrium
and emptied into a subfloor cistern.
Compluvium refers to an architecture feature of ancient Roman atrium. The term
refers to a square opening in the roof of Roman house for lighting. Compluvium
also served to allow rainwater to flow into the impluvium or the cistern.

EXHEDRA
• a room, portico, or
arcade with a bench
or seats where
people may
converse, especially
in ancient Roman
and Greek buildings.
• an outdoor recess
containing a seat
A garden room
used for
conversation; it
also means a
garden seat

 Furniture in Roman houses tended to
be sparse, since the occupants liked
space and simplicity in their decor.

 Beauty was created by mosaics,
frescos and water features and other
features of Roman interiors rather than
by use of elaborate furnishings.
 However, the few items of Roman
Empire furniture were elegant and
costly, using excellent materials and
craftsmanship.
 Pictures of ancient Roman furniture
painted on frescos and other artworks,
together with the few pieces are still
in existence today .
FURNITURE

The Romans were not big fans of
furniture, but of rare , expensive
materials & fine workmanship, and
graceful form.
Even wealthy homeowners had essential
articles: couches, chairs, tables & lamps.
There was an occasional chest, wooden
cabinet with doors, brazier for coals, and
a water clock (seldom).
Couches were popular, extremely
ornamental.
A couch (lectus) acted as a sofa & a
bed. In its simplest form it was of a wooden
frame, with a back & one or two arms, with straps
interwoven across the top, on which a mattress
was laid. A couch always had pillows, a mattress
and coverlets. Early mattresses were stuffed with
straw; later of wool & even feathers.
COUCHES / LECTUS:

 As a sofa the
Roman Lectus
was used in
Roman libraries
for reading and
writing; the
student
supported himself
on his left arm
and held the book
or writing with the
right hand.
 In Roman dining
rooms the Lectus
had a permanent
place.
A couch / Lectus

The triclinum
House of Neptune and Amphitrite TRICLINIUM : DINNING HALL

 The legs were often highly
decorated and inlaid or plated with
tortoise-shell, ivory, or the precious
metals. Mention is made even of
frames of solid silver.
 The coverings were often made of
the finest fabrics, dyed in the most
brilliant colors, and worked with
figures of gold.
 Primarily used for relaxing and
socializing in the living areas, the
lectus also formed the basis of
Roman style bedroom furniture.

THE CIRCULAR 3 LEGGED TABLES
IN THE TRICLINIUM

 In some of the bedrooms of
Pompeii the frame seems to be
missing ; when like this the
mattress was laid on a support
built up from the floor.
 The couches used as sleeping
beds seem to have been larger
than those used as sofas, and
they were so high that stools or
even steps were necessary to
reach them.

A Lectica : also called a litter i.e A vehicle
The lectica, a kind of portable bed,
originated in the East. Initially the
Romans viewed it as a symbol of
decadence, but it became an
increasingly popular mode of
transportation for the well-to-do in
the late Republic. In the imperial
period, elaborately decorated litters
were fashionable.

Tables:
 The design of tables
was extremely varied.
They were often very
beautiful. Their
supports and tops
were made of fine
materials - stone or
wood, solid or
veneered, or even
covered with thin
sheets of precious
metal.
 The most expensive
were round tables
made from cross
sections of citrus
wood, the African
cedar.
A monopodium was a
table or stand with
one supports,
used to hold a lamp
or toilet articles.
The abacus was a
rectangular
table with a raised
rim,
used as a sideboard
to hold
dishes.
A mensa delphica –
of bronze or marble
table - had three
legs.

Tables were
often made with
adjustable legs,
so that they
could be raised
or lowered.
A table of solid
masonry or
concrete, with
a top of
polished stone
or mosaic, was
often built into
the dining room
or peristyle.
Tables gave
an even better
opportunity
than couches
or chairs to
display
elaborate
workmanship

chair/solium/
cathedra
 After the solium came the
cathedra, an armless chair with
a curved back. A cathedra
supina was a cathedra that
had been fixed at an easy
angle. At first used only by
women, it eventually came into
general use. Because teachers
in schools of rhetoric sat in
cathedrae, the term ex
cathedra came to mean any
kind of authoritative utterance.
Bishops often used this term,
explaining the derivation of the
word cathedral.
 Chairs were not upholstered,
but cushions were used.

Chests & Cabinets
 Cabinets were
made of the
same materials
as chests and
were often
beautifully
decorated. They
were frequently
divided into
compartments,
but they had no
sliding drawers
and their wooden
doors were
without hinges or
locks. The
cabinets in the
library held
books, while
those in the alae
held wax masks
of ancestors.
Chests were found in every house.
They were usually made of wood
and often bound with iron. Small
chests, used as jewel cases, were
sometimes made of silver or gold.

THE CRADLE : HERCULAENEUM
AEDICULA: THE SHRINE IN THE HOUSE

Stool
 The primitive
form of Roman
seat was a four-
legged stool or
bench with no
back. Some
could be folded.
 The famous
curule chair, to
which only high
magistrates
were entitled,
was a folding
stool with curved
legs of ivory and
a purple
cushion.
Sella
Curulis
/
curule

THE DAGOBERT THRONE / CHAIR
This cast and chiseled bronze and
partially gilded throne from the art
collections of the National Library of
France belonged to Dagobert I (circa 603–
39), king of the Franks 629–34,
considered the last powerful Merovingian
king. Four protomes of panthers form the
feet and legs; the armrests consist of two
carved and perforated panels, decorated
with rosettes (bottom) and plant motifs
(upper register). The back, triangular in
shape, is decorated with three rings and
foliage. The seat, originally folding, is a
work of the seventh century, or a
Carolingian replica. The date of some of
the elements is quite controversial.
Comparable thrones, with wild cat
foreparts, are found in Carolingian
illuminations. The back and arm rests can
be dated to the second half of the ninth
century. The foliage on the armrests has
similarities to the ivory decorations or
illuminations made in the workshops of
Charles the Bald (823–77).

The first improvement on the stool,
was the solium, a stiff, straight,
high-backed chair with solid arms,
so high that a footstool was
necessary. This was the chair in
which a patron sat when he
received clients in the atrium.
Poets represented it as a seat for
gods and kings.
The state chair

FASCES :
SYMBOL
OF
JUSTICE
AXE AND
WOOD
CUTS
BRONZE
BRAZIER
POMPEII FOR
ROOM HEATING

 The clock as we know it did not exist in
Roman times. In the peristyle or garden
there was sometimes a sundial, which
measured the hours of the day by the
shadow of a stick or pin.
 The sundial was introduced from Greece in
about 268BC
 . The largest at Rome was set up by
Augustus, who used an Egyptian obelisk for
the pointer and had lines of the dial laid out
on a marble pavement.
 A Clepsydra was a water clock (a container
filled with water, which escaped from it at a
fixed rate, the changing level marking the
hours on a scale).

 Romans had very simple (but often
very ornate) lamps: containers for
olive oil or melted fat, with loosely
twisted threads for the wick(s), drawn
out through one or more holes in the
cover or the top. There was also
usually a hole through which the lamp
was filled.
 Some lamps had handles. Some
suspended from ceilings with
chains. Others kept on stands.
 For lighting public rooms there were
tall stands like floor lamps, from which
numerous lamps could be hung. This
was called a candelabrum.
 It must have originally been intended
for candles, but they were rarely used
as the Romans were not skilled
candlemakers.
 A supply or torches also fasces of
dry, inflammable wood, often soaked
in or smeared with pitch, was kept
near the outer door for use at night.
 Light was reflected from polished
floors and from water in the
Impluvium.

 The Romans
produced heat
with their charcoal
stoves, or
braziers. These
were metal boxes
which held hot
coals. They were
raised on legs
and provided with
handles.
an Oven Pompeii

There were -------
No mirrors hung on their
walls. They had no
desks or writing tables,
no dressers or
chiffoniers, no glass
door curio cabinets for
the display of bric a
brac, tableware, or
books, no mantles, no
hat racks
The main items of Roman furniture found
in the best houses were couches or beds (
lectus ), chairs and stools, tables and
lamps. Adding chests or wooden cabinets
with doors, an occasional brazier, and still
seldomer, a water clock, this assembled
everything that can be called furniture,
except perhaps for tableware and kitchen
utensils.
Furniture in Roman houses tended to
be sparse, since the occupants liked
Beauty was created by mosaics, frescos
and water features and other features of
Roman interiors rather than by use of
elaborate furnishings.
To summarize :

Byzantium, Romanesque & Gothic
Furniture in Rome tended to be
sparse, since the occupants liked
Aesthetics were created by mosaics,
frescos and water features rather than
by use of elaborate furnishings.
Elegant and costly.

PART I HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF FURNITURE IN ANCIENT ERA.pdf

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