KITCHENS AND DINING ROOMS AT POMPEII ... - Get a Free Blog

sitting rooms). Static spaces are usually arranged around nodes, which are in turn linked by
connectors. 162
Larger houses should have more static spaces and therefore, more dining areas and
kitchens. Rank, status, and wealth were, after all, closely tied to the ability to host a dinner-party.
The size and elaboration of a dinner party should be proportional to the number, size and
decoration of the dining rooms, as well as the sufficiency of the kitchen facilities. The
archaeological analysis in chapter three (pp. 116-126) will confirm that larger, more complex
houses tend to contain more spaces, and more and larger dining and cooking areas.
Roman society, households, houses and cenae were hierarchically organized. The social
distance between guests and servants was expressed in part through the spatial interrelationships
of dining and cooking areas. The following measurable factors describe these interrelationships:
proximity, accessibility, perceptibility, amenities, and sanctity. 163
Proximity
Proximity is the physical distance crossed by walking from one point in the house to
another, measured in meters between thresholds. The physical distance determines the actual
energy and time required to move along the shortest path. Ramifications for smoothly
conducting a dinner include: how far and fast servers carry in food and remove dishes, the time
necessary to communicate information and orders between kitchen and dining room, and the
chances of food cooling off.
Accessibility
Accessibility is the perceived distance between two points, the number of spaces one
must enter or pass through by the shortest route. A 'space' is defined as any distinct
architecturally contained area, whether a static space, connector, or node. 164 The perceived
distance measures how much mental energy is committed to recognizing the different
architectural spaces encountered and to remembering the path taken. For household members,
accessibility is simply the availability of the cooking and dining areas: how many spaces a server
has to pass through between kitchen and dining room, risking collision with people or furniture,
and avoiding areas where traffic is not allowed. Accessibility is also the difficulty in importing
162 For some houses in the Gazetteer, the room in the traditionally-identified place of the tablinum (centered
at the back of the atrium facing the entrance) is the only passage between the atrium and the back peristyle
or garden. In these cases (I.8.1-3, I.8.4-6, I.9.1-2, I.9.3-4, I.10.7), its obvious role as a connector between the
two most important nodes of the house is considered to outweigh its traditional role as a static space.
163 These factors are defined again in the introduction to the Gazetteer, pp. 181-183.
164 Each portico of a peristyle or colonnaded garden counts as one 'space'.
39