Full text: Vitruvius: The civil architecture of Vitruvius

246 
they were placed, he mentions the cavaedium amongst the 
parts which the clients and friends of the proprietor were 
at liberty to enter uninvited: whence it is probable that 
these, being public apartments, were situated in this court. 
The triclinia, or common eating rooms, on the contrary, 
being amongst those parts of the house which could not be 
approached by any, excepting the persons of the household, 
unless when expressly invited, are represented in the 
porticoes of the peristyle. 
Besides the triclinia there were grand banqueting rooms, 
called oeci, for public occasions. Of these one kind was 
termed Corinthian, another Tetrastyle, a third Egyptian, 
and a fourth kind Cyzicene. The oecus, in the plan before 
us, is supposed to be of the latter kind: it has doors in the 
centre of the ends; and windows in the walls on the right 
and left, looking upon the gardens; in compliance with the 
mode of construction described by our author. In the plans 
usually given of a Roman house, all the several kinds of 
oeci are introduced: it seems more probable, however, that 
there was but one large banqueting room in the generality 
of houses; for, although several varieties are mentioned, it 
does not follow that they were all to be found in the same 
palace. We might with equal propriety suppose that the 
four kinds of cavaedia were several courts of the same house. 
Vitruvius is altogether silent upon the use to which the 
apartments on the upper floor were destined. It is generally 
allowed that they were almost wholly appropriated to 
sleeping-rooms and store-chambers. He mentions staircases, 
but does not point out their situations.
	        
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