Sunday, May 3, 2026

05.11.26: topic; architecture [16]; describing a Roman house (Traupman); dialogue (3)

Read the dialogue and match the words and phrases in bold with the images. The images are not in the same order as the text references.

A: Habitāsne in aedibus an in īnsulā?

B: In aedibus habitō. Magnam vērō domum habeō.

A: Itane? Quot conclāvia domus habet?

B: Atrium, tablīnum, trīclīnium, culīnam, balneum, sex cubicula, peristȳlium cum bellō hortō.

A: Suntne cubicula omnia in pedeplānīs?

B: Quattuor cubicula in pedeplānīs sunt; cētera in tabulātō secundō sunt. Servī et ancillae in tabulātō secundō dormiunt.

A: Siquidem marītus tuus cōnsul est, conveniuntne multī clientēs domī tuae ad officium?

B: Ita, nam sīc est mōs. Bene manē clientēs frequentant nōn sōlum vestibulum sed etiam ātrium. Deinde clientēs marītum meum in forum dēdūcunt.

A: Mānēsne in ātriō inter officium?

B: Minimē vērō, eō tempore ego satagō* in culīnā aut in peristȳliō.

A: Quid facis in peristȳliō?

B: Ego cūrō rosās et aliās plantās in hortō.

A: Quid facis in culīnā?

B: Cēnam coquō, quia marītus meus saepe vocat clientēs ad cēnam. Ego ipsa cibum adpōnō in trīclīniō.

A: Sit dīs grātia, ego in vīllulā rūrī habitō! Vīta est tam simplex ibi!

*satagō, -ere [3]: [i] fuss, busy about; [ii] have one’s hands full; can also be written as two separate words i.e. satis agō, literally to be doing enough.


[1]

pedeplāna, -ōrum [2/n/pl]: (post-Classical) ground floor; rooms on the ground floor

tabulātum, -ī [2/n]: storey

in summō tabulātō: on the upper floor

in tabulātō secundō: on the second floor

[2] Not included in the dialogue, but appropriate to the topic of describing a modern house:

(1) attic

[i] the term cēnaculum, -ī [2/n] which can describe an upstairs dining room, has an extended meaning of ‘garret’ or ‘attic’ and is associated with poorer living quarters

[ii] cella, -ae [1/f] subtegulānea: a Neo-Latin construction that literally describes a small room or storeroom (cella) situated under the roof (subtegulānea)

(2) cellar; basement

The phrase subterrāneum ergastulum, referred to by Columella, describes the physical structure of a slave prison, in this case located underground (subterrāneus, -a, -um). By extension, the Neo-Latin coinage of cella subterrānea i.e. an underground storeroom would convey the same contemporary idea of a cellar.

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