Insula (Roman city) in the context of "Roman world"

⭐ In the context of the Roman world, what characterized the typical housing situation for the majority of Rome’s population?

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⭐ Core Definition: Insula (Roman city)

The Latin word insula (lit. 'island'; pl.: insulae) was used in Roman cities to mean either a city block in a city plan (i.e. a building area surrounded by four streets) or later a type of apartment building that occupied such a city block specifically in Rome and nearby Ostia. The latter type of Insulae were known to be prone to fire and rife with disease.

A standard Roman city plan was based on a grid of orthogonal (laid out on right angles) streets. It was founded on ancient Greek city models, described by Hippodamus. It was used especially when new cities were established, e.g. in Roman coloniae.

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👉 Insula (Roman city) in the context of Roman world

The culture of ancient Rome existed throughout the almost 1,200-year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which at its peak covered an area from present-day Lowland Scotland and Morocco to the Euphrates.

Life in ancient Rome revolved around the city of Rome, its famed seven hills, and its monumental architecture such as the Colosseum, Trajan's Forum, and the Pantheon. The city also had several theaters and gymnasia, along with many taverns, baths and brothels. Throughout the territory under ancient Rome's control, residential architecture ranged from very modest houses to country villas, and in the capital city of Rome, there were imperial residences on the elegant Palatine Hill, from which the word palace is derived. The vast majority of Rome's population lived in the city center, packed into Insulae (apartment blocks).

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Insula (Roman city) in the context of Insula (building)

In Roman architecture, an insula (Latin for "island", pl.: insulae) was one of two things: either a kind of apartment building, or a city block. This article deals with the former definition, that of a type of apartment building.

Insulae housed most of the urban citizen population of ancient Rome'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) and all but the wealthiest from the upper-middle class (the equites).

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Roman world ← Ancient Roman culture ← Roman culture ← Insula (building) ← Culture of ancient Rome ← Roman society
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium → Cologne → Calleva Atrebatum → Latin → Ancient Rome → City block → Insula (building) → Ostia Antica → Grid plan → Hippodamus of Miletus → Colonia (Roman) →