Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

VILLA. VILLICUS. 11.97
road) to a too frequent influx of visitors. The villa at variance wvith the rule of Vitruvius; and the
attached to a large farm had two courts (cohlortes, villa at Pompeii also has no atrium. It would
clhores, cortes, Varro, i. 13). At the entrance to appears from Cicero (I. c.) that both arrangements
the outer court was the abode of the villicus, that were common. Next to the atrium in Pliny's
he might observe who went ill and out, and over Laurentine villa was a small elliptic peristyle
the door was the room of the procurator. (Varro, (porlicus in 0 literae similitudinem circumactae,
1. c.; Colum. i. 6.) Near this, in as warm a spot where, however, the readings D and A are also
as possible, was the kitchen, which, besides being given instead of O). The intervals between the
used for the preparation of food, was the place columns of this peristyle were closed with talc
where the slaves (familiae) assembled after the windows (specularibus, see Doaus, p. 432), and
labours of the day, and where they performed the roof projected considerably, so that it formed
certain in-door work. Vitruvius places near the an excellent retreat in unfavourable weather. The
kitchen the baths and the press (torczlar) for wine open space in the centre of this peristyle seems
and oil, but the latter, according to Columella, often to have been covered with moss and ornathough it requires the warmth of the sun, should mented with a fountain. Opposite to the middle
not be exposed to artificial heat. In the outer of this peristyle was a pleasant cavaediuem, and
court were also the cellars for wine and oil (cell(e beyond it an elegant tricliniumn, standing out from
vinariae et oleaniae), which were placed on the the other buildings, with windows or glazed doors
level ground, and the granaries, which were in the in the front and sides, which thus commanded
upper stories of the farm-buildings, and carefully a view of the grounds and of the surrounding
protected from damp, heat, and insects. These country, while behind there was an uninterrupted
store-rooms form the separate villa fi-ucluaria of view through the cavaedium, peristyle, atrium,
Columella; Varro places them in the villa rusticcs, and portico into the xystus and the open country
but Vitruvius recommends that all produce which beyond.
could be injured by fire should be stored without Such was the principal suite of apartments in
the villa. Pliny's Laurentine villa. In the villa at Pompeii
In both courts were the chambers (cellae) of the the arrangement is somewhat different. The enslaves, fronting the south; but the ergastulum for trance is in the street of the tombs. The portico
those who were kept in chains (vincti) was under- leads through a small vestibule into a large square
ground, being lighted by several high and narrow peristyle paved with opus signinum, and having an
windows. impluvium in the centre of its uncovered area.
The inner court was occupied chiefly by the Beyond this is an open hall, resembling in form
horses, cattle, and other live stock, and here were and position the tasblinumzs in a town-house. Next
the stables and stalls (btubilia, equilia, ovilia). is a long gallery extending almost across the whole
A reservoir of water was made in the middle of width of the house, and beyond it is a large cyzieach court, that in the outer court for soaking pulse cene oecus, corresponding to the large triclinium in
and other vegetable produce, and that in the inner, Pliny's villa. This room looks out upon a spacious
which was supplied with fresh water by a spring, court, which was no doubt a xystus or garden, and
for the use of the cattle and poultry. which is surrounded on all sides by a colonnade
2. The Villa urbana orpseudo-surbana was so called composed of square pillars, the top of which forms
because its interior arrangements corresponded for a terrace. In the farthest side of this court is a
the most part to those of a town-house. [HousE.] gate leading out to the open country. As the
Vitrsvius (vi. 8) merely states that the description ground slopes downward considerably from the
of the latter will apply to the former also, except front to the back of the villa, the terrace just
that in the town the atrium is placed close to the spoken of is on a level with the cyzicene oecus, the
door, but in the country the peristyle comes first, windows of which opened upon it; and beneath
and afterwards the atrium, surrounded by paved the oecus itself is a range of apartments on the
porticoes, looking upon the palestra and ambulatio. level of the large court, which were probably used
Our chief sources of information on this subject in summer, on account of their coolness.
are two letters of Pliny, in one of which (ii. 17) The other rooms were so arranged as to take
he describes his Laurentine villa, in the other (v. 6) advantage of the different seasons and of the surhis Tuscan, with a few allusions in one of Cicero's rounding scenery. Of these, however, there is only
letters (ad Quint. iii. 1), and, as a most important one which requires particular notice, namely, a
illustration of these descriptions, the remains of a state bed-chamber, projecting from the other busildsuburban villa at Pompeii. (Pompeii, ii. c. 11, Lond. ings in an elliptic or semicircular form, so as to
1832.) admit the sun during its whole course. This
The clearest account is that given by Pliny in apartment is mentioned by Pliny, and is also found
the first of the two letters mentioned above, from in the Pompeian villa. In Pliny's Laurentine
which, therefore, the following description is lor villa its twall was fitted up as a library.
the most part taken. The villa contained a set of baths, the general
The villa was approached by an avenue of plane arrangement of which was similar to that of the
trees leading to a portico, in front of which was a public baths. [BALNEAE.]
aystlss divided into flower-beds by borders of box. Attached to it were a garden, ambulatio, ~qeslclio,
This xystus formed a terrace, from which a grassy hippodromus, sphaeristeriusm, and in short all necesslope, ornamented with box-trees cut into the figures sary arrangements for enjoying different kinds of
of animals, and forming two lines opposite to one exercise. [HoRTUS; GYMNASIUM.]
another, descended till it was lost in the plain, (Becker, Gallsus, vol. i. p. 258; Schneider's notes
which was covered with acanthus. (Plin. v. 6.) on Columella and Varro, and Gierigs on Pliny,
Next to the portico was an atrium, smaller and contain many useful remarks.) [P. S.]
plainer than the corresponding apartment in a V'LLICUS (srilrpo7ros in Greek writers, Plut.
town-house. In this respect Pliny's description is Crass. 4), a slave who had the superintendened