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Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered on ...
, an ''insula'' (
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
for "island", plural ''insulae'') was one of two things: either a kind of
apartment building An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
, or a
city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...
. This article deals with the former definition, that of a type of building. ''Insulae'' housed most of the urban citizen population of
ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...
's massive population ranging from 800,000 to 1 million inhabitants in the early imperial period. Residents of an ''insula'' included ordinary people of lower- or middle-class status (the ''
plebeians In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins ...
'') and all but the wealthiest from the upper-middle class (the ''
equites The ''equites'' (; literally "horse-" or "cavalrymen", though sometimes referred to as "knights" in English) constituted the second of the property-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian ...
''). The traditional elite and the very wealthy lived in a ''
domus In Ancient Rome, the ''domus'' (plural ''domūs'', genitive ''domūs'' or ''domī'') was the type of town house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. It was found in almost all the ma ...
'', a large single-family residence, but the two kinds of housing were intermingled in the city and not segregated into separate neighborhoods. The ground-level floor of the ''insula'' was used for '' tabernae'', shops and businesses, with living spaces above. Like modern apartment buildings, an ''insula'' might have a name, usually referring to the owner of the building. The owners of these buildings were typically wealthy Romans and even those in the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. It was also possible for an ''insula'' to be owned by several people, such as
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
, who owned a one-eighth share of an ''insula'' and presumably took in one-eighth of its revenue. The inhabitants of the ''insula'' paid rent to secure their accommodation.


Construction

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
notes that ''insulae'', like ''domus'', had running water and sanitation, but this type of housing was sometimes constructed at minimal expense for speculative purposes, resulting in ''insulae'' of poor construction. They were built in timber, brick, and later Roman concrete, and were prone to fire and collapse, as described by
Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the '' Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...
, the Roman satirist. Among his many business interests,
Marcus Licinius Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115 – 53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome." Wallechinsky, David & Wallace, I ...
speculated in real estate and owned numerous ''insulae'' in the city. When one collapsed from poor construction,
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
purportedly stated that he was happy that he could charge higher rents for a new building than the collapsed one. Living quarters were typically smallest in the building's uppermost floors, with the largest and most expensive apartments being located on the bottom floors. The ''insulae'' could be built up to nine storeys, before
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
introduced a height limit of about 68 feet. Later, this was reduced further, to about 58 feet. The notably large ''Insula Felicles'' or ''Felicula'' was located near the
Circus Flaminius The Circus Flaminius was a large, circular area in ancient Rome, located in the southern end of the Campus Martius near the Tiber River. It contained a small race-track used for obscure games, and various other buildings and monuments. It was "bu ...
in Regio IX; the early Christian writer
Tertullian Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of L ...
condemns the hubris of multiple-story buildings by comparing the Felicles to the towering homes of the gods. It is posited that a typical ''insula'' would accommodate over 40 people in only ; however, an entire structure could comprise about six to seven apartments, each covering about in floor area. The only surviving ''insula'' in Rome is the five storey Insula dell'Ara Coeli dating from the 2nd century AD, which is found at the foot of the
Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; it, Campidoglio ; la, Mons Capitolinus ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. ...
. Because of safety issues and extra flights of stairs, the uppermost floors of ''insulae'' were the least desirable, and thus the cheapest to rent. Other examples outside of Rome are the ''insulae'' at
Ostia Antica Ostia Antica ("Ancient Ostia") is a large archaeological site, close to the modern town of Ostia, that is the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, 25 kilometres (15 miles) southwest of Rome. "Ostia" (plur. of "ostium") is a derivation ...
. They provide an insight into what an ''insula'' may have been like during the second and third centuries AD. These particular structures at Ostia are also unique in that they show evidence of luxurious ''insulae''. Due to the rarity of evidence today it is uncertain as to how common these luxury ''insulae'' were. The floor plan allows us to determine what constitutes one of these luxury ''insulae''. Firstly, there is a rectangular living space called a ''medianum'' from which all the other rooms can be accessed. These attached reception rooms were different sizes at either end and were typically partitioned further into two separated rooms but sometimes remained each as one. Large glazed windows allowed light into these rooms. These windows would often overlook a garden, courtyard or the street. On the adjacent sides of the ''medianum'' were the '' cubiculi'', usually two of them. Larger ''insulae'' at Ostia suggest that the upper floors could have had kitchens, latrines, and even piped water. Further luxurious features seen in Ostia include ornate pilasters or columns decorating exterior doors to staircases leading up to the apartments. The decorations suggest that these particular Insulae probably housed wealthy individuals who lived there on a long term basis. Simple two to four roomed apartments are also found in Ostia for the lower classes inhabiting an ''insula''. As seen in the Casa Di Diana, the ground floor contains a narrow corridor with several poorly lit cells that lead to what is believed to be a shared living area. This type of insula can also be found at Capitoline Hill in Rome which may suggest that this particular design could have been a common solution to high housing demand at the time. The latrine and cistern for drinking water also seem to be shared. This shared accommodation type meant for the lower classes was likely rented both by short term inhabitants and also acted as an inn for short-tenure or itinerant workers. However, this is merely conjecture as there is no direct evidence to support whether they were shared, nor how many inhabited the space at a given time.


Regulation and administration

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
instituted reforms aimed at increasing the safety of buildings in the city of Rome. Because of the dangers of fire and collapse, the height of the ''insulae'' were restricted by Augustus to 70
Roman feet The ancient Roman units of measurement were primarily founded on the Hellenic system, which in turn was influenced by the Egyptian system and the Mesopotamian system. The Roman units were comparatively consistent and well documented. Length T ...
called the ''pes'' (20.7 m), and again to an unspecified amount by Emperor
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
after The Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. Emperor Trajan reduced the height to 60 Roman feet (17.75 m). According to the 4th-century Regionary catalogues, there were about 42,000–46,000 ''insulae'' in the city, as compared to about 1,790 ''domus'' in the late 3rd century. Data on the number of ''insulae'' and to a lesser extent ''domus'' are used for
classical demography Classical demography refers to the study of human demography in the Classical period. It often focuses on the absolute number of people who were alive in civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea between the Bronze Age and the fall of the Wester ...
. The city's population in the late 3rd century is thought to have fluctuated between 700,000–800,000, down from more than 1 million, based also on figures for the amount of grain required to feed the population in Rome and surrounding areas.


References


External links


Photo of Insulae in Ostia

Model of another insula in Ostia

Insula 9, an excavation of a Pompeii insula


{{DEFAULTSORT:Insula (Building) Ancient Roman buildings and structures