ABSTRACT
Using the seven most important display features (the size of the peristyle, the number of porticoes, pools, fountains, sculpture, wall paintings, and floor decoration), which were defined in Chapter 4, Pompeian peristyles can be divided into different groups. These groups also reflect an economic ranking, as the difference in status display can be interpreted to reflect the house owners’ wealth or the wealth level they wanted to transmit to outside observers. The highest level – called the opulent peristyles in this study – features a major part of the seven different display features. The second group – the large full peristyles – is close to the highest group, but for several reasons the display elements in their peristyles were not as numerous and various as in the highest group. Following the top two groups, the next two groups – ornamental and large painting peristyles – were distinctively different. Both used a lavish amount of decoration or large decorative elements in their peristyles, but the architecture was not on the same level as in the two upper groups. The fifth group – imitation peristyles – seems to pursue architecture of the highest level, but the space is more restricted. In addition to the aforementioned groups, there are a large number of peristyles – minor decoration and architectural peristyles – that had almost no particular display features.
