Bulla Regia - Villas

The houses in Bulla Regia (A.D. third and fourth century) belonging to wealthy citizens of the town, some of which are excellently preserved, are named after the mosaics found in them. They are laid out on an unusual plan (some older houses having evidently been altered to conform with the plan). The rooms lay round a colonnaded courtyard, as was normal in Roman houses, but the main residential apartments were in the basement and, protected from direct sunlight, were pleasantly cool. In the commonest type of plan an underground passage gave access to three rooms, which were sometimes linked with one another and were supplied with indirect light and air by shafts to the rear (seen, for example, in the House of the Treasure). A more elaborate plan is seen in the House of the Hunt and the House of the Fishing Scene, whose underground rooms surround a colonnaded courtyard. The best preserved of these houses are described below.