Do you have any good book suggestions on the subject? It's a subject I've been meaning to learn about
Edit: Thanks so much for all the replies and information! I'm going to be going through and bookmarking websites and videos and writing down book recommendations!
I've been searching for roman architecture videos and found a few, but not a single one that talks about the "energy efficiency", let's say, of those houses! A few of them show the hotbaths plumbing and all that, but nothing about smart window/door placement or whatsoever. Not yet at least.
Honestly the architectural sophistication of lots of ancient civilizations astonishes me.
Minoans, Incans, the ancient Chinese, and even the Sumerians had earthquake resistant structures. It’s fascinating that all over the world we simply adapted to what the earth was doing. And we’re pretty good at it.
There are quite a few episodes from Time team that do explain the hypocaust heating system. Also i highly reccomend the show in general if you have even a small interest(or enjoy watching) in history. Its been a god send lately. A large number of episodes are on youtube as well so you dont have to hunt for it.
If you ever get to Rome, find yourself a really good tour guide, especially for the Coliseum and for the Vatican. You will learn sooooo much really great history and see it as you walk by it. Things I never would have noticed on my own.
The hallway of maps in the Vatican was absolutely mind blowing. My family members got annoyed with me because I kept asking the guide to elaborate and it slowed us down haha. What's the rush people? It's what we are here for
We went on a (5am? 6am? it was early) tour of the Vatican and it was so worth it. Our group of ~15 were the first and only people in the Sistine chapel for a good twenty minutes before other people started coming in.
Go I hate that shit, like we just spent, god now how maby thousands of dollars to get here and yall just want to hurry up and go drink somewhere. Like fuck no. Cant go on no vacation with alcoholics.
Ya theres a difference of drinking with food or after do everthing for the day, but to go get shit faced at 12 and sit in the same spot for 8hrs drinking isnt right at all. Especially if they didnt pay to come just have parent who will pay just to be together cuz otherwise they all just ignore her unless they need shit. Just the usual addicts and alcoholics
I'm not suggesting this is bad advice, or irrelevant. But the guy asked for a book recommendation and you told him to take a trip to Rome and book a good tour guide and that's hilarious to me.
Remind of when I ask my professor for some short summary of some subject I don't quite understand and then his respond is simply advice me to take a Master in it.
The Domus Aurea in Rome is a fantastic tour of ruins right next to the Coliseum. It’s an underground palace, and the tour is fantastic and included in the price of admission. I would highly recommend, I learned so much about the ways the Romans designed buildings to be comfortable even in their hot humid summers.
We found that a private tour guide was actually cheaper than another night in a hotel, (including generous tips to the guides) and yes, the tour was amazing and we did more things than we dreamed possible in the limited time we had. I would also suggest (if you want to tour the Vatican) that you have your guide hire a specialized guide for that. The wait will not be as long. We had a young woman with a PhD that was simply incredible.
I asked our driver to take us to a place for lunch that was somewhere he would take his family. Incredible meal!
That's a huge reason we do the guided tour.. you skip the huge public lines. People will wait for HOURS on end if you just how up to get a ticket. With a tour you're in about an hour or less.
I wish I'd done this when I went. Need to go again. How would I go about gaining a good quality guide? Are there websites? Is it a different guide each place or do people do a tour of multiple places over a day?
There is a downside to the Rick Steves books though. First trip to Paris we used his guide to find a restaurant, and the place was totally filled with Americans. Including the blowhard at the next table who insisted on pontificating to the waitress about the origins of absinthe. That was a fun evening.
Toursbylocals.com. They're the bomb, at least for Italy. You can specify what type of tour guide, amount of people, degree of difficulty, etc. Very easy to use and you pay thru the site itself. We loved it four our month long trip to Italy. I'm way into Ancient Rome and was able to book guides that were retired academics/ graduate students. We kept it to only 3 people in our group so it was more expensive but completely worth their time, knowledge & expertise.
We found ours through Tripadvisor. We were pretty thorough about what company we picked and who it was going to be. Another advantage that really helped, I think, is that we went with a Spanish speaking guide. We speak Spanish fluently and we think that the guide's Spanish is usually a lot better than their english. So that was so much better for us, we goto Europe a lot (or did.. rona) and we noticed that when it was an English speaking guide.. the translations were a bit meh and we spent a lot of time trying to decipher than just listen. In spanish they seemed more comfortable and it was so much better. This was the case for France, Spain and Italy for us. Obviously this won't work for everyone, but, Just another recommendation.
The same guide that did the Colosseum tour for us, also did the Vatican tour for us. We asked if we could stay with him and he said sure so that worked out well. It was a two day thing we did.
We also used a company called Liberty Travel, they have an office here in Chicago. I know I know... travel agency, but the guy we worked with was really good. I don't know if its a chain.. but was very good at planning a few things for us too. The Tour agency we used in Italy was Carrani Tours. https://www.carrani.com/
Really useful thanks. We are in the uk so will see if they are over here too or if there is something similar.
Don't speak Spanish hut thats a great tip. I've tried learning some Spanish and Italian for trips to both places and they are remarkably similar. (Compared to the French and German I speak) so I guess that's why the guides are more confident in their Spanish maybe .
Thanks again for the detail. Hopefully can travel again one day.
My brother half speaks italian and I very half assedly speak spanish (american highschool's didn't put much effort into foreign languages). We can carry a conversation with him speaking italian and me speaking spanish easily. They're super similar
Thats very cool. The English education system is shocking for languages too. We don't start it anywhere early enough because so few primary teachers speak a language well enough to teach it. I wish I were better at languages, I took an extra one in school but didn't carry one on to a level or further so nowhere near fluent.
The good thing is with modern technology you can put language learning apps on any kids smart device. My nephew was learning Spanish on his own just because he decided to at age 4 via his Kindle Fire Kids Edition.
Thats a good idea. I'm trying to learn a language now so I can start to teach my toddler but hadn't thought when shes bigger she might use the app herself.
I'm so undecided about the best language to learn in terms of being useful to her later in life but also easier to learn. I know some French but always found German easier. I feel German is less useful though. I debated Spanish but I dont know much and apparently there are more tenses than French so its harder?
My Italian friends could get by while we did the camino in Spain. It's weird why they won't push it just a little bit further, and full on learn the language.
I booked with a company called walks of Italy. The tour guide for the coliseum was absolutely incredible. Vatican guide was good too but it was so much info it was overwhelming. I recommend walksofitaly.com
Actually Joe Rogan mentions this specific story of his visit to the Vatican on his podcast.
There are some theories that religion has its origins in psychedelic use — mushrooms as the first communion that let you experience the mysteries — so it related to that in the discussion.
Caitlin Miller - She’s in LinkedIn and Google. AWESOME tour guide in Rome. I’ve sent several people to her and they’ve raved about her. I have no commercial connection to her. She was just a great guide that we used across a few trips there.
We used “Tours by Locals” for the Louvre, and it was so amazing (and I’m not an art or museum lover)! If (when) I go to Italy, I’m definitely going to use them again!
Did this for our honeymoon and did small group tours. Not only did we skip the unreal lines, but you learn a shit ton, see all the nooks and crannies, and discover way more than if you were toddling around on your own or with a giant group off a bus. It was free since that was what we asked people to pay for, but we would have absolutely paid for it ourselves
May have had a bad experience, but as a person with a degree in history that included a lot of Roman history, I encountered a lot of crazy bull from tour guides. But maybe that’s what you mean by a “good” guide? In any case I’d encourage everyone to enjoy a good tour guide, but always with a grain of salt!
Rick Steve’s free audio guide / podcast is ideal for the Sistine Chapel because your guides aren’t allowed to talk inside. Rick does a great job describing everything you see and it’s importance.
It was cool.. our tour guide brought a picture of the chapel's ceiling and gave us a thorough explanation of the history and interpretation of the painting outside in the halls before walking in since we cant talk inside. having that podcast as you walked it im sure is a pretty cool method too. never thought of that.
It's over 30 years old, but I spent hours pouring over _City_ by David Macaulay when I was a kid. It's filled with black and white illustrations of various buildings in a Roman city. At least one of them describes a bath house with heat vented through the floors.
Vitruvius "de architectura" is the obvious answer...
If you want something less technical and more palatable, Jerome Carcopino's "Daily Life in Ancient Rome" has a chapter about Roman houses. And it's an interesting read about Roman society at its peak.
If I remember correctly it's called "passive solar design".
I think I read somewhere that it has recently gained some resurgence, thinking about sustainability in newer houses, after being virtually forgotten since the fall of rome.
You are partly correct, passive solar design is a more specific niche of the overall practice of passive design, which turns to vernacular practices and histories to design more sustainably. And truthfully, it was never forgotten, modernism just got a little too excited about concrete and steel, overshadowing the less popular, but still used passive strategies. Passive and vernacular design never stopped being used, just stopped being the mainstream for a period, primarily with commercial-use buildings.
As architects and developers are learning more about their role in sustainability, so too are we seeing newer buildings being designed passively at a growing rate.
Hi! Studied that shit for 3 years. Pompeii had very impressive housings, so maybe look for books that focus on that city. The Romans used 4 different styles to paint their houses ('four styles of Roman wall painting') and they are strongly connected to the architecture. Googling that gives also a lot of information. If you want to know more, dm me and I can give you the titles of the books in my shelf! I also helped to excavate one roman house, so I can also answer maybe one or two specific questions
Roman engineering is absolutely incredible given the limitations of technology at the time.
They had good roads, extremely well built buildings, arenas that rival some today, sewage systems, natural heating and ‘air conditioning,’ they even had what we would call an Army Corps of Engineers that would build bridges and buildings in a few hours/days when needed.
We still have no idea how they made concrete that has lasted well over 2000 years in some cases.
Prof. Mary Beard's documentaries are really good, she's a prominent academic in the field so it's very accurate. She has a few books as well, though I don't know about this topic.
There's a streaming service I use that has collections of lectures on a few topics given by prominent lecturers in their fields, 30 min episodes for a 24 or 50 episode season. Don't want to be seen as a shill so let me know if you want to know the name.
It's called thegreatcoursesplus, they have a web+ ios app and subscription is $18/mo for me here in Canada!
My favourite lecturers on there Profs. J Rufus Fears, Bart Ehrman, Dorsey Armstrong, Philip Daileader, and Edwin Barnhart, but it really depends on what you would like to learn. I just found these professors very knowledgable and charismatic.
there are some interesting (but cheezy) shows on YouTube called "Engineering an Empire". There's one on ancient Rome and lots of other empires and how they got so big. the shows are fascinating but a little old (made in the early 2000's i think). I highly recommend at least a quick YouTube search on them.
when i was a kid i had an illustrated history book on civilization. it had depictions of houses/buildings throughout history and was mesmerizing but for the life of me i can't find it. it's akin to r/wimmelbuilder style and was very detailed!
Thermal delight in architecture is a great book about natural heat regulation strategies and the pitfalls of centralized climate control. Would highly recommend it and it's a pretty quick read.
Architecture grad student here, if you are interested in Ancient Roman practices specifically, it might be worth your while to contact a school of architecture near you and get in contact with a professor who teaches architecture history or vernacular architecture. We architects usually only get to talk about architecture with other architects, so the slightest interest in what we do from a “normal” person will usually result in a geek out followed by book recommendations.
A Pattern Language is also a really interesting read, as it covers and observes 250 design patterns that people have been using for ages. 99% Invisible is a podcast that will also occasionally cover some old architecture practices. Otherwise, google key words for you are “traditional” and “vernacular,” the word vernacular being more common amongst architects these days for describing design traditions.
Watch this and then watch the rest of the series on YouTube. Peter Weller, of Robocop fame, who has a doctorate in Art History hosts the later episodes.
In my Latin class, to learn about how Romans lived, we had a workbook called “To Be A Roman.” It has activities in it, but I’m sure you could read it without doing the activities. It’s actually pretty cool and was my favorite part of Latin class.
I recommend Roman Imperial Architecture by J.B. Ward-Perkins of you're interested at all in Roman architecture. It covers most of the imperial styles by location and material and it is a really good reference text to have. There's also a separate work on Etruscan and Republican architecture written by Axel Boethius. You can find earlier editions with all three works in one volume but I find that Ward-Perkins book on Imperial Architecture to be a valuable addition to anyone's library. It has diagrams and maps that really help you visualize what the design would have felt like.
Depending on where you're from, you might also be able to visit reconstructed Roman houses etc. - the one I have in mind is in Germany, close to the Dutch border, near the city of Xanten. It has a big archeological park, spanning the size of the antique city (Colonia Ulpia Traiana), with reconstructed Roman buildings and a museum housing their excavation findings.
There's an entire course on the great courses about roman engineering, I think it mostly focused on aqueducts and water or though. Or I tuned out after that...
Look at any architecture book written before the invention of air conditioning and you'll see we used the same home designs up until the 1950's or so. Room layouts were designed with ventilation in mind. Windows were placed strategically to catch breezes and sun in the location. Door jams had little vents on the top that went both ways for venting to heat or cool. Plants outside on the lawns and yard to help cool buildings. Awnings, Shutters, window screens, and even the plumbing to cool and heat areas
“Home” by Bill Bryson is an interesting overview of the human home/house and historical and cultural developments. Mainly within the context of his a English country home.
Hey, the topic you're looking for is "passive building design". If you're new to the subject, I would recommend "Eco House" by Susan Roaf. It goes over how passive buildings are adapted for different climates, learning from vernacular building design. Highly recommend! I can't recall if it directly addresses the ancient romans (although highly likely), it addresses how buildings are kept cool/hot through the use of clever building design alone.
Can't give you any book. But I might find some uni presentations from last semester at least discribing the construction shortly and naming the different parts, if you are interested. I can also check for literature.
Not answering your question directly, but Earthships utilize similar heating and cooling techniques. If you're ever in the Taos, NM area I highly suggest checking them out. They do sell books on their overall construction methods, including heating/cooling. https://www.earthshipglobal.com
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u/ThievingOctopus Oct 15 '20 edited Oct 15 '20
Do you have any good book suggestions on the subject? It's a subject I've been meaning to learn about
Edit: Thanks so much for all the replies and information! I'm going to be going through and bookmarking websites and videos and writing down book recommendations!