Transformation of the Domestic Space in the Vesuvian Cities: from the development of the Upper Floors and Façades to a New Dimension of Intimacy

The evidence from Pompeii and Herculaneum offers a unique opportunity to in- vestigate the evolution of domestic space from traditional dwellings – i.e. the atri- um house – to buildings that intensively and rationally exploited the urban space. Transformations in layout as well as the progressive development of upper floors testify this process that took place during the last years of life of the Vesuvian towns. So far, scholarship has concentrated mainly on the effects that a shift from single occupancy houses laid out on a single floor to multistory buildings inhabit- ed by several families had on the plan. This paper focuses instead on exterior ar- rangements and investigates how the façade reflected these changes while adapting to the new inner layout. Architectural features – such as large windows and pro- jecting structures (maeniana) – represent, within this frame, important evidence of a new concept of domestic space and mirror a new dialogue between private and public spheres.