Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum

Roman houses in Pompeii and Herculaneum, preserved by Vesuvius' eruption, offer unprecedented insights into ancient Roman social dynamics. Wealthy elites shaped their environments to impress visitors, influencing broader societal trends adopted by ordinary citizens. This study reveals that the organization of space and decorative practices structured complex social interactions, defining hierarchies between owners and visitors, genders, and social classes. By analyzing over 200 houses, the research demonstrates that these structures played a pivotal role in shaping Roman identity during early imperial Italy. The approach combines archaeological evidence with Roman texts and comparative cultural data to pose new questions about household formations and societal norms.

WALLACE-HADRILL, A. (2022). Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv289dw2n