Mediterranean Style in Northern Climes

Mediterranean Style in Northern Climes. . , Mediterranean Style in Northern Climes , All Roman forts included a large prestigious house (praetorium) for the commanding officer (praefectus), his family and servants. , The praetorium was the largest building in the fort. The design came from the Mediterranean, where its central courtyard would have provided cool and shade in a warm climate. Here at Housesteads it provided protection in bad weather from wind, rain and snow. , The courtyard was surrounded by ranges of rooms, partly on two floors. Entry to each room was from a corridor around the courtyard, sheltered by a colonnaded roof. The most important living and dining rooms were warmed by under floor heating and adorned with plastered and painted walls. , The commanding officer's household included his family and several servants. Most of the servants were slaves or freedmen (former slaves) who looked after all the domestic tasks, under the supervision of the commander's wife. , Felix says … , Our commanding officer lives in this house. You can tell how important he is by how largeband impressive the house is. , ( photo captions ) , Above: Something of daily life in a praetorium has been revealed on writing tablets found at the nearby fort of Vindolanda. This one from Claudia Severa, the wife of the praefectus, is an invitation to a friend to her birthday party. , By permission of the Vindolanda Charitable Trust , A reconstruction drawing of the praetorium in the third century AD, its roof lifted to give an impression of how splendid such residences could be. , Reconstruction: akg-images/Peter Connolly