[Illustration:  FIG. 36.—­KITCHEN HEARTHS (Drawing).]

Somewhere in one of the bays of the hall, at the back of the peristyle court, or elsewhere, would be found a small shrine for the worship of the domestic gods.  This was variously constructed.  Sometimes it was a niche or recess containing paintings or little effigies and with an altar or altar-shelf beneath, sometimes a miniature temple erected against the wall.  There was apparently no special place to which, rather than any other, it was to be assigned.  To the nature and meaning of the household gods we may refer again when dealing with the general subject of religion.

[Illustration:  FIG. 37.—­SHRINE (IN BACKGROUND) IN HOUSE OF THE TRAGIC POET.]

In the homes of persons of culture there would also be included a library and, perhaps less regularly, a picture-gallery.  The library, which sometimes comprised thousands of rolls, would be a room not only surrounded by large pigeon-holes or open cupboards containing the round boxes for the parchment rolls, but also traversed by lower partitions provided on either side with similar shelves.  About the room, over or by the shelves, stand portrait busts or medallions of great authors, both Greek and Roman, the “blind” Homer being represented in traditional form, but the majority, from Aeschylus and Thucydides down to Virgil and Livy, being authentic and excellent likenesses.  In the picture-gallery would be found paintings either done upon the stucco walls in a frame-like setting or upon panels of wood attached to the walls, very much as we hang our modern pictures.

[Illustration:  FIG. 38.—­HOUSEHOLD SHRINE.]

It was scarcely ever the case that a second storey—­where one existed at all—­extended over the whole house.  If upper rooms were used, they were placed over those parts where they would interfere least with the light, the comfort, and the appearance of the ground-floor arrangements.  The stairs leading to them were variously disposed and as little as possible in evidence.  In such upper apartments there was naturally not the same risk from the curious or the burglar as in the case of the lower, and windows of perhaps 4 by 2-1/2 feet were therefore freely employed.  In some instances, though we cannot tell how frequently, the second storey projected on strong beams over the street, as in the example at Pompeii known as the “House of the Hanging Balcony.”

It remains to make brief observations upon one or two matters interesting to any practical householder.  These are the questions of water-supply, drainage, warming, and roofing.