From the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii we have learned enough to conceive some general idea of the social life of a wealthy Roman in the time of Rome’s prosperity.  The houses had no upper story, but were formed by the enclosure of two or more quadrangles, each surrounded by courts opening into rooms, and receiving air and ventilation from the centre open square or court.  The illustration will give an idea of this arrangement.

In Mr. Hungerford Pollen’s useful handbook there is a description of each room in a Roman house, with its proper Latin title and purpose; and we know from other descriptions of Ancient Rome that the residences in the Imperial City were divided into two distinct classes—­that of domus and insula, the former being the dwellings of the Roman nobles, and corresponding to the modern Palazzi, while the latter were the habitations of the middle and lower classes.  Each insula consisted of several sets of apartments, generally let out to different families, and was frequently surrounded by shops.  The houses described by Mr. Pollen appear to have had no upper story, but as ground became more valuable in Rome, houses were built to such a height as to be a source of danger, and in the time of Augustus there were not only strict regulations as to building, but the height was limited to 70 feet.  The Roman furniture of the time was of the most costly kind. [Illustration:  Interior of an Ancient Roman House.  Said to have been that of Sallust.  Period:  B.C. 20 TO A.D. 20.]

Tables were made of marble, gold, silver, and bronze, and were engraved, damascened, plated, and enriched with precious stones.  The chief woods used were cedar, pine, elm, olive, ash, ilex, beech, and maple.  Ivory was much used, and not only were the arms and legs of couches and chairs carved to represent the limbs of animals, as has been noted in the Assyrian, Egyptian, and Greek designs, but other parts of furniture were ornamented by carvings in bas relief of subjects taken from Greek mythology and legend.  Veneers were cut and applied, not as some have supposed for the purpose of economy, but because by this means the most beautifully marked or figured specimens of the woods could be chosen, and a much richer and more decorative effect produced than would be possible when only solid timber was used.  As a prominent instance of the extent to which the Romans carried the costliness of some special pieces of furniture, we have it recorded on good authority (Mr. Pollen) that the table made for Cicero cost a million sesterces, a sum equal to about L9,000, and that one belonging to King Juba was sold by auction for the equivalent of L10,000.

[Illustration:  Roman State Chair. (From the Marble example in the Musee du Louvre.)]

[Illustration:  Roman Bronze Lamp and Stand. (Found in Pompeii.)]