ABSTRACT
Despite the Greek name, the earliest known basilicas are found in Rome. The Romans at first borrowed heavily from both Etruscans and Greeks when it came to domestic buildings. However, excavations in oldest atrium houses at Pompeii, such as the House of the Surgeon, have shown that the impluvium is a secondary feature, dating to the second century bc. The Villa of the Mysteries at Pompeii was a suburban villa with a very small industrial section, which had many features of large atrium/peristyle house, except that it had more outward facing porticoes, especially to the west, which commanded splendid views over the sea. The best-known recreational buildings were baths, which offered facilities for exercise as well as for bathing. Three remarkable transformations altered the appearance of bath buildings in the first century ad: the growing number of aqueducts which provided running water essential for plunge-baths and swimming pools; the invention of window glass; and the introduction of hollow wall tubes.
