Capitoline Insula - best preserved apartment building from Ancient Rome

Discover the fascinating factors that influenced the design of Roman dwellings and gain insight into the culprits responsible for the less-than-ideal living conditions of ancient Roman citizens. This captivating exploration of history and architecture will leave you with a deeper understanding of how our past shapes the present.
Why Roman Houses Were Awful and Who we should blame for it? | 12:22
Scriptorium | 456 subscribers | 13,198 views | October 7, 2023

Transcript
· Dangerous Neighbourhoods
0:03 · Overcrowding, traffic, air pollution, and finally, the lack affordable housing. These are issues
0:09 · that affect all major urban centers worldwide. However, many centuries ago, in ancient Rome,
0:14 · these issues were also a pressing concern for its administrators and a nuisance for its residents.
0:20 · Ancient Rome, as the capital of one of the most powerful empires in human history, attracted
0:25 · people from various corners of the world. Overcrowding was an inherent side effect of the
0:30 · phenomenon of the eternal city, leading to crowded streets, food and water supply problems, and other
0:36 · dangers, including fires and an increased risk of disease spread. The low availability of affordable
0:42 · housing was another challenge. The growth of the population did not always go hand in hand with
0:47 · access to suitable housing conditions, leading to the creation of impoverished
0:51 · neighborhoods where living conditions, let's not be afraid to say it, were deplorable.
0:57 · In this material, we will explore how the ancient Romans coped with the necessity
1:00 · of living in one of the most significant centers of civilization in the ancient world.
1:06 · Just like today, the size and location of a dwelling depended on one's wealth. The
1:10 · wealthiest and most famous figures of the eternal city inhabited luxurious residences
1:15 · located on the Palatine Hill or its vicinity. The very name of the hill is not coincidentally
1:21 · associated with a palace because, through some languages, it even made its way into english,
1:26 · serving as a reminder of the residences that once stood on the Roman hill. However, if we
1:30 · were to transport ourselves several centuries into the past to stroll through the poorer
1:34 · neighborhoods of Rome, we would need to be cautious. On the streets, except for
1:39 · those leading to the Forum from the Capitoline Hill and the Palatine, we wouldn't feel safe.
1:45 · these often cobblestone-paved pathways were far from any modern standards,
1:49 · and calling these creations "roads" is quite an exaggeration. In these meandering alleys,
1:53 · often not even two carts could pass each other, leading to frequent traffic jams.
1:58 · In the 1st century, due to this issue, zones were introduced where private carts were not allowed,
2:04 · and vehicles could only move in them for business or supply purposes. As we can see,
2:09 · even this invention, which is eagerly being implemented in an increasing number
2:13 · of European cities today, has its roots long before anyone uttered the word "car."
2:18 · Furthermore, one had to be wary of the omnipresent filth, or even feces, as not every building was
2:24 · connected to a sewer system or at least had a cesspit. Since the sewage was disposed of through
2:30 · a system of pipes directly into the Tiber River, it could also happen that after heavy rains,
2:35 · the river returned to the residents everything they had discharged into it. It was necessary
2:40 · to watch out for garbage not only underfoot because they could also fall from above. The
2:45 · idea of a container filled with various kinds of waste falling from above may seem more associated
2:50 · with medieval times, but it did occur even in the cities of the Empire. Rather unpleasant substances
2:56 · could land on an unsuspecting passerby's face also in ancient Rome. In such cases,
3:01 · the injured would turn to the district administrator, who acted as a judge, and
3:06 · after a detailed report concerning both physical and reputational damages, a fine was imposed on
3:11 · the perpetrator, along with an obligation to pay compensation to the injured party.
3:16 · The last threat was the sight of the setting sun. No citizen who valued their life would venture
· Insulae
3:21 · out after sunset because the dark alleyways, especially in the poorer districts of Rome,
3:26 · were frequented by various thugs whom one would rather not encounter on their way.
3:32 · Doors were securely locked, and citizens spent their evenings indoors. In homes,
3:37 · which are the subject of this episode. Multi-story buildings known as "Insulae"
3:41 · dominated the landscape of many cities in the Empire, including its capital. The name itself
3:46 · literally means "island." These buildings, which can be compared to today's residential blocks,
3:51 · were typically not connected to neighboring structures but rather surrounded by streets.
3:56 · This probably explain their name/ Insulae began to appear in the 4th century BCE, coinciding with the
4:02 · first sack of the city in history. After nearly 7 months of siege, many buildings suffered damage
4:07 · or were completely destroyed due to fires or damage caused by invaders. And although,
4:13 · according to Livy, the destruction was not complete, the rapid reconstruction of the
4:17 · city occurred with a complete disregard for city planning. Not only were the streets neglected,
4:23 · leading to a chaotic street layout with narrow and inconvenient roads, but also sewage systems were
4:29 · not extended to all newly emerging buildings. The Insulae built in Rome were decidedly too
4:34 · narrow for the engineering capabilities and, above all, the quality of materials used by
4:39 · builders. Their surface area ranged from 300 to 400 square meters, so considering their height,
4:47 · sometimes exceeding 20 meters, they were often taller than they were wide. In the 1st century,
4:52 · Vitruvius did not yet see the danger in the growing buildings, although ironically,
4:56 · he warned against further expansion. He pointed out the thin exterior walls, which, surprisingly,
5:03 · according to Roman law, could not exceed one and a half feet, which is 45 centimeters—a
5:09 · very small value considering the height of these buildings. However, the regulations were created
5:14 · with two-story buildings in mind, and Insulae were often multi-story. If we add floors hastily woven
5:20 · together with thin wooden beams covered with a mixture of clay, rubble or sand, we have a ready
5:25 · recipe for a house of cards, or rather houses of cards, of which there were plenty in Rome. Insulae
5:31 · often buried their inhabitants, collapsing due to poor materials and construction imperfections.
5:37 · The instability of these buildings did not go unnoticed for poets, including Juvenal, who in his
5:42 · satires drew attention to the constant danger and fear experienced by the residents. He highlighted
5:47 · how these buildings, while providing shelter, could become the cause of theworst nightmare.
5:52 · We inhabit a Rome held up for the most part by slender
5:56 · Props; since that’s the way management stop the buildings
5:59 · Falling down; once they’ve covered some ancient yawning
6:02 · Crack, they’ll tell us to sleep soundly at the edge of ruin.
6:07 · On the ground floor of these buildings, there were sometimes spacious apartments for
6:11 · the building's owners, but more commonly, we could notice there some artisan workshops. The upper
6:16 · floors were designated for residential purposes. However, before we move on to them, we must first
6:21 · take a closer look at the ground floor. Because even though it may seem like it contained nothing
6:26 · more than a storage room or a shop, often in its corners, you could spot narrow stairs or a ladder
6:32 · leading to small mezzanines. These mezzanines were typically inhabited by either the tenants of the
6:37 · shop itself or, even more commonly, its employees. These mezzanines had only one windowed room,
6:43 · which didn't offer much space, so the first circle of hell began somewhat unexpectedly
6:44 · not above but below the first ceiling. When the tenants of these mezzanines
6:46 · were unable to pay the rent, the owner would simply take away their ladder.
6:51 · On the higher floors, there were proper residential units called "Coenacula."
6:55 · External staircases led to these units. The apartments themselves were divided
7:00 · into two or three rooms. In a Coenaculum, you would find a bedroom, a living room,
7:04 · and a so-called "middle room," which was a common space for all the residents of
7:08 · the Insula and likely served as a kitchen area. These apartments lacked the most basic amenities,
7:14 · such as running water, or central heating, which could often be found in private
7:19 · residences or public buildings. All these apartments were rented to tenants as follows:
7:24 · The owners, which is probably not surprising,
7:26 · were mostly patricians. However, not wanting to personally deal with the search for new tenants,
7:31 · they leased the entire property to one person at a fixed rate, which was 3/4 of the actual
7:37 · rental value. It was the responsibility of these administrators to find new tenants and
7:42 · collect rent from them. But that's not all. The property had to be maintained
7:46 · and regularly repaired. This was a full-time job, but these administrators prosperred and drove up
7:52 · rental fees , especially when the patrician owner was unaware of current rental values.
7:57 · the residents of specific apartments often sublet individual rooms to other people to minimize the
8:02 · constantly increasing rent. The higher the floor, the higher the population density,
8:07 · as renting apartments on higher levels gradually became cheaper. Tenants on the top floor were
8:13 · probably in the worst position. Not only because of the heat in the summer but also because they
8:17 · were risking their lives in exchange for the opportunity of inexpensive housing.
8:22 · To fully understand what Insulae really were, let's take a closer look at their
8:26 · evolution. After the mentioned sack of the city, the organic development of the city was disrupted
8:32 · for the first time in its history. This happened because, by the decision of the Roman Senate,
8:35 · Rome was enclosed by the so-called Servian Wall. Regardless of their social status,
8:40 · all residents wanted to locate their homes within these fortifications.
8:45 · Instead of building new homes outside the walls, residents chose to add more floors
8:49 · to increasingly taller tenement buildings. Just 150 years later, at the end of the third century,
8:55 · Livy in his work "prodigia" mentions an omen that was supposed to herald the incoming
9:01 · Carthage offensive. The omen was a bull that had climbed the stairs to the third floor of one of
9:06 · the thousands of Insulae that had become common for the residents of Rome during this period.
9:12 · Subsequent centuries brought further growth to these buildings. However,
9:15 · it took hundreds of years and the arrival of the Roman Empire for someone to finally
9:20 · address the problem of the sprawling, haphazardly constructed rental properties.
9:24 · While Augustus and Trajan legally limited the height of these buildings to 20 and 18
9:29 · meters respectively, the need was greater than the law's strength. Consequently,
9:34 · these regulations were rarely respected, and the tallest buildings reached even eight stories.
9:40 · Their numbers also continued to grow. By the mid-fourth century, their count exceeded 45,000,
9:46 · when one must consider that Rome had already been invaded multiple times by barbarians
9:51 · and ravaged by fires, including the Great Fire that occurred during Nero's reign. By the way,
9:57 · fires were perhaps one of the greatest threats to these buildings because
10:00 · although the lower floors were typically constructed from stone or brick, the upper
10:05 · stories, as we established earlier, were hastily assembled from lower-quality wood or even rubble.
10:10 · The danger of fires drew attention from none other than Juvenal, who rhetorically asked
10:10 · in one of his works, "Oh, when will I be able to live in a place where there are no fires,
10:10 · where nights are free from alarms!" Although the buildings constructed in
10:12 · Rome were often built hastily and from inferior materials, their owners still
10:16 · cared about their durability and relative longevity. The situation was quite different
10:21 · for buildings that had to be reconstructed after fires. Fires were indeed common,
10:26 · and they especially started on the upper floors, where the flames from fireplaces
10:30 · or oil lamps would directly affect wooden walls. Fires were frequent and devastating,
10:36 · and there was no state fire department in Rome until the 1st century. The market loophole was
· Marcus C.
10:41 · filled by Marcus Licinius Crassus, who created his own organization,
10:46 · which was a combination of a fire brigade and a rather aggressive insurance company. Plutarch,
10:52 · among others, examined his activities, providing us with an account of the ingenious business idea
10:56 · that this Roman politician had come up with. Observing how natural and familiar at Rome
11:02 · were such fatalities as the conflagration and collapse of buildings, owing to their being too
11:07 · massive and close together, he proceeded to buy slaves who were architects and builders. Then,
11:13 · when he had over five hundred of these, he would buy houses that were afire,
11:17 · and houses which adjoined those that were afire, and these their owners would let go at a low price
11:23 · owing to their fear and uncertainty. In this way the largest part of Rome came into his possession.
11:31 · Crassus trained 500 men divided into firefighting, demolition, and construction brigades. He would
11:36 · then wait for fires to occur, which were quite frequent in the city. When a fire broke out,
11:41 · he and his group would go to the scene, and then, at a significantly reduced price,
11:46 · he would acquire the burning building. His people would either extinguish the fire in the Insula or
11:51 · secure its remains, after which they would build an even shoddier structure on its ruins. When this
11:57 · dubious renovation was completed, sometimes the owner was offered the option to repurchase it,
12:03 · but more often, only the lease of the entire building was offered. In this,
12:07 · rather non-ethical way, Crassus became the owner of many properties in Rome,
12:11 · but he can also be seen as one of the first enthusiasts of passive income.

Must be a Rent Controlled building.................

It wasn't anyone's "fault" per se -- the city grew wildly for a long while, completely unplanned, and Senators and other posh folks from the three dozen or so families which ran everything and owned a lot of it rebuilt burned areas in brick. The fact that this one survives to this day shows they knew what they were doing.

Until the Great Fire that occurred during the reign of Nero, much of the city was still pretty shaky as far as construction and flammability. The firefighting crews instituted by Crassus fought that fire.

Most of these Roman apartments didn't have kitchens, which reduced the number of house fires. That also led to a take-out food culture, and much healthier snacks (fruits, nuts, greens) around the house.

It should be noted also that Cicero, the Roman equivalent of an ambulance chaser, owned a bunch of apartment buildings.

Roman Insulae [YouTube search]

"... the culprits responsible for the less-than-ideal living conditions of ancient Roman citizens"

I nominate the people who choose horrible "music" for their YouTube videos. If I want to listen to music, I'll find my own.

Call me "Joe Friday" -- "Just the facts, Ma'am"

Now...on to watching the video past the ten second mark.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d10744102-Reviews-Insula_dell_Ara_Coeli-Rome_Lazio.html

sidebar I thought I’d posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vfGjnfN5vc

https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/roman-houses-still-inhabited-today

sidebar, probably soon to be a topic, unless it’s been posted:

https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/a-1900-year-old-greek-inscription-was-found-in-bulgarias-roman-baths

One of the reason I use “The History Guy” and “Toldinstone” more than most is, no bleepin’ crap soundtrack, just narration. Another peeve is any video that spends two minutes telling us over and over the information already gained by reading the title before clicking in. And I generally avoid any title with “Greatest” “Best” or “Game-Changer” in it.

I agree. I have turned off some very informative videos because of the stupid music. Sometimes there are captions, so I can turn off the sound, but that isn’t always the case.

Gaius Stern

former professor of History, Classics, Political Science

Author has 3.7K answers and 1.1M answer views1y

Originally Answered: What are Roman buildings still in use nowadays?

...the only Roman building I am aware of that is regularly used today is the amphitheater in Verona. It is used to opera and other big shows. There is also one in South France (maybe Toulouse) that is used in summer for music and bull fighting.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-Roman-buildings-which-are-still-being-used-nowadays

https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-7a75013663f148edccd75efc5e0b4613

Roman house at Herculaneum reopens after 35 years
1:13
CGTN
3.07M subscribers
3,223 views
October 24, 2019

One of the best preserved Roman houses at the Italian archaeological site of Herculaneum reopened on Wednesday after more than 35 years of restoration. The Bicentenary house, which contains stunning frescoes and mosaics, was discovered in 1938, but it was closed in 1983 as it began to fall apart. A revolutionary new technique has brought those exquisite paintings back to life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh9XeCVIUS8

Haven’t been to Rome in about 12 years, it was a wonderful place to just wander on foot, history unfolds with every step, the churches are museums, street artists of all types were everywhere, performing and selling art, etc. We used to stay in an apartment just off Piazza Navona, a block from the Pantheon, which is about 4 feet below today’s streets. The stone staircase up to the apt was worn down in the middle of the steps about 4 inches. Don’t know what it’s like there these days.

“Another peeve is any video that spends two minutes telling us over and over the information already gained by reading the title before clicking in.”

No kidding. I swear I’ve seen some vids that spend ten minutes doing that!

Thanks. I’ve been to Italy three times, but never to Pompeii or Herculaneum. I’ve been watching various vids about the ancient towns and would LOVE to go. Unfortunately, my wife has less than zero interest in history, ancient peoples, ancient cultures, so she won’t go with me. I’m thinking I need to spend a summer in Europe before it’s too late. I’d like to spend a lot of that time on genealogical expeditions to SW Germany around Cologne, East Yorkshire, and Danzig.

I’d also love to visit ancient sites in Turkey, the eastern Med, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Iran, the Sinai, etc, but those are out of the question.

My parents went to an opera in Verona with a Jewish gentlemen by the name of Marx. He ran an opera tour business. My dad’s outfit liberated the Death Camp at Ebensee ‘45, and Mr. Marx was one of the approximately 150 survivors. He found my dad’s outfit in America at one of their reunions in 1995, in Chicago I think. He came in the room and asked, “Are you the men who liberated Ebensee? Someone said yes and he said, “I’ve been hoping for 50 years to get the chance to thank you.”

This is why Rome only has two subway lines. You can’t dig to plant tomatoes (much less a rtain tunnel) without hitting historic ruins.

They’ve cleaned the place in the video up. Last I was there all of that structure that could be accessed from the sidewalk was covered in hand bills.

A couple of hundred yards to the left of that spot (north, directly in front of the wedding cake) is one of Rome’s best free attractions, the world’s most theatrical traffic cops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zExVyA2rX6c

Thanks!

To be fair, it’s been a while since the landlord in the toga has been able to collect the rent money.

Wow, nice!

I suspect that many more old Roman buildings (or parts thereof) are still in use than is thought. :^)

Still sheltering in place from the Vesuvius eruption............

““Another peeve is any video that spends two minutes telling us over and over the information already gained by reading the title before clicking in.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s just a variation of what they used to teach us in Speech Class in college:

1. Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em.

2. Tell ‘em what you said you’d tell ‘em.

3. Tell ‘em what you told ‘em...................

Transcript
	·	Dangerous Neighbourhoods
0:03	·	Overcrowding, traffic, air pollution, and finally, the lack affordable housing. These are issues
0:09	·	that affect all major urban centers worldwide. However, many centuries ago, in ancient Rome,
0:14	·	these issues were also a pressing concern for its administrators and a nuisance for its residents.
0:20	·	Ancient Rome, as the capital of one of the most powerful empires in human history, attracted
0:25	·	people from various corners of the world. Overcrowding was an inherent side effect of the
0:30	·	phenomenon of the eternal city, leading to crowded streets, food and water supply problems, and other
0:36	·	dangers, including fires and an increased risk of disease spread. The low availability of affordable
0:42	·	housing was another challenge. The growth of the population did not always go hand in hand with
0:47	·	access to suitable housing conditions, leading to the creation of impoverished
0:51	·	neighborhoods where living conditions, let's not be afraid to say it, were deplorable.
0:57	·	In this material, we will explore how the ancient Romans coped with the necessity
1:00	·	of living in one of the most significant centers of civilization in the ancient world.
1:06	·	Just like today, the size and location of a dwelling depended on one's wealth. The
1:10	·	wealthiest and most famous figures of the eternal city inhabited luxurious residences
1:15	·	located on the Palatine Hill or its vicinity. The very name of the hill is not coincidentally
1:21	·	associated with a palace because, through some languages, it even made its way into english,
1:26	·	serving as a reminder of the residences that once stood on the Roman hill. However, if we
1:30	·	were to transport ourselves several centuries into the past to stroll through the poorer
1:34	·	neighborhoods of Rome, we would need to be cautious. On the streets, except for
1:39	·	those leading to the Forum from the Capitoline Hill and the Palatine, we wouldn't feel safe.
1:45	·	these often cobblestone-paved pathways were far from any modern standards,
1:49	·	and calling these creations "roads" is quite an exaggeration. In these meandering alleys,
1:53	·	often not even two carts could pass each other, leading to frequent traffic jams.
1:58	·	In the 1st century, due to this issue, zones were introduced where private carts were not allowed,
2:04	·	and vehicles could only move in them for business or supply purposes. As we can see,
2:09	·	even this invention, which is eagerly being implemented in an increasing number
2:13	·	of European cities today, has its roots long before anyone uttered the word "car."
2:18	·	Furthermore, one had to be wary of the omnipresent filth, or even feces, as not every building was
2:24	·	connected to a sewer system or at least had a cesspit. Since the sewage was disposed of through
2:30	·	a system of pipes directly into the Tiber River, it could also happen that after heavy rains,
2:35	·	the river returned to the residents everything they had discharged into it. It was necessary
2:40	·	to watch out for garbage not only underfoot because they could also fall from above. The
2:45	·	idea of a container filled with various kinds of waste falling from above may seem more associated
2:50	·	with medieval times, but it did occur even in the cities of the Empire. Rather unpleasant substances
2:56	·	could land on an unsuspecting passerby's face also in ancient Rome. In such cases,
3:01	·	the injured would turn to the district administrator, who acted as a judge, and
3:06	·	after a detailed report concerning both physical and reputational damages, a fine was imposed on
3:11	·	the perpetrator, along with an obligation to pay compensation to the injured party.
3:16	·	The last threat was the sight of the setting sun. No citizen who valued their life would venture
	·	Insulae
3:21	·	out after sunset because the dark alleyways, especially in the poorer districts of Rome,
3:26	·	were frequented by various thugs whom one would rather not encounter on their way.
3:32	·	Doors were securely locked, and citizens spent their evenings indoors. In homes,
3:37	·	which are the subject of this episode. Multi-story buildings known as "Insulae"
3:41	·	dominated the landscape of many cities in the Empire, including its capital. The name itself
3:46	·	literally means "island." These buildings, which can be compared to today's residential blocks,
3:51	·	were typically not connected to neighboring structures but rather surrounded by streets.
3:56	·	This probably explain their name/ Insulae began to appear in the 4th century BCE, coinciding with the
4:02	·	first sack of the city in history. After nearly 7 months of siege, many buildings suffered damage
4:07	·	or were completely destroyed due to fires or damage caused by invaders. And although,
4:13	·	according to Livy, the destruction was not complete, the rapid reconstruction of the
4:17	·	city occurred with a complete disregard for city planning. Not only were the streets neglected,
4:23	·	leading to a chaotic street layout with narrow and inconvenient roads, but also sewage systems were
4:29	·	not extended to all newly emerging buildings. The Insulae built in Rome were decidedly too
4:34	·	narrow for the engineering capabilities and, above all, the quality of materials used by
4:39	·	builders. Their surface area ranged from 300 to 400 square meters, so considering their height,
4:47	·	sometimes exceeding 20 meters, they were often taller than they were wide. In the 1st century,
4:52	·	Vitruvius did not yet see the danger in the growing buildings, although ironically,
4:56	·	he warned against further expansion. He pointed out the thin exterior walls, which, surprisingly,
5:03	·	according to Roman law, could not exceed one and a half feet, which is 45 centimeters—a
5:09	·	very small value considering the height of these buildings. However, the regulations were created
5:14	·	with two-story buildings in mind, and Insulae were often multi-story. If we add floors hastily woven
5:20	·	together with thin wooden beams covered with a mixture of clay, rubble or sand, we have a ready
5:25	·	recipe for a house of cards, or rather houses of cards, of which there were plenty in Rome. Insulae
5:31	·	often buried their inhabitants, collapsing due to poor materials and construction imperfections.
5:37	·	The instability of these buildings did not go unnoticed for poets, including Juvenal, who in his
5:42	·	satires drew attention to the constant danger and fear experienced by the residents. He highlighted
5:47	·	how these buildings, while providing shelter, could become the cause of theworst nightmare.
5:52	·	We inhabit a Rome held up for the most part by slender
5:56	·	Props; since that’s the way management stop the buildings
5:59	·	Falling down; once they’ve covered some ancient yawning
6:02	·	Crack, they’ll tell us to sleep soundly at the edge of ruin.
6:07	·	On the ground floor of these buildings, there were sometimes spacious apartments for
6:11	·	the building's owners, but more commonly, we could notice there some artisan workshops. The upper
6:16	·	floors were designated for residential purposes. However, before we move on to them, we must first
6:21	·	take a closer look at the ground floor. Because even though it may seem like it contained nothing
6:26	·	more than a storage room or a shop, often in its corners, you could spot narrow stairs or a ladder
6:32	·	leading to small mezzanines. These mezzanines were typically inhabited by either the tenants of the
6:37	·	shop itself or, even more commonly, its employees. These mezzanines had only one windowed room,
6:43	·	which didn't offer much space, so the first circle of hell began somewhat unexpectedly
6:44	·	not above but below the first ceiling. When the tenants of these mezzanines
6:46	·	were unable to pay the rent, the owner would simply take away their ladder.
6:51	·	On the higher floors, there were proper residential units called "Coenacula."
6:55	·	External staircases led to these units. The apartments themselves were divided
7:00	·	into two or three rooms. In a Coenaculum, you would find a bedroom, a living room,
7:04	·	and a so-called "middle room," which was a common space for all the residents of
7:08	·	the Insula and likely served as a kitchen area. These apartments lacked the most basic amenities,
7:14	·	such as running water, or central heating, which could often be found in private
7:19	·	residences or public buildings. All these apartments were rented to tenants as follows:
7:24	·	The owners, which is probably not surprising,
7:26	·	were mostly patricians. However, not wanting to personally deal with the search for new tenants,
7:31	·	they leased the entire property to one person at a fixed rate, which was 3/4 of the actual
7:37	·	rental value. It was the responsibility of these administrators to find new tenants and
7:42	·	collect rent from them. But that's not all. The property had to be maintained
7:46	·	and regularly repaired. This was a full-time job, but these administrators prosperred and drove up
7:52	·	rental fees , especially when the patrician owner was unaware of current rental values.
7:57	·	the residents of specific apartments often sublet individual rooms to other people to minimize the
8:02	·	constantly increasing rent. The higher the floor, the higher the population density,
8:07	·	as renting apartments on higher levels gradually became cheaper. Tenants on the top floor were
8:13	·	probably in the worst position. Not only because of the heat in the summer but also because they
8:17	·	were risking their lives in exchange for the opportunity of inexpensive housing.
8:22	·	To fully understand what Insulae really were, let's take a closer look at their
8:26	·	evolution. After the mentioned sack of the city, the organic development of the city was disrupted
8:32	·	for the first time in its history. This happened because, by the decision of the Roman Senate,
8:35	·	Rome was enclosed by the so-called Servian Wall. Regardless of their social status,
8:40	·	all residents wanted to locate their homes within these fortifications.
8:45	·	Instead of building new homes outside the walls, residents chose to add more floors
8:49	·	to increasingly taller tenement buildings. Just 150 years later, at the end of the third century,
8:55	·	Livy in his work "prodigia" mentions an omen that was supposed to herald the incoming
9:01	·	Carthage offensive. The omen was a bull that had climbed the stairs to the third floor of one of
9:06	·	the thousands of Insulae that had become common for the residents of Rome during this period.
9:12	·	Subsequent centuries brought further growth to these buildings. However,
9:15	·	it took hundreds of years and the arrival of the Roman Empire for someone to finally
9:20	·	address the problem of the sprawling, haphazardly constructed rental properties.
9:24	·	While Augustus and Trajan legally limited the height of these buildings to 20 and 18
9:29	·	meters respectively, the need was greater than the law's strength. Consequently,
9:34	·	these regulations were rarely respected, and the tallest buildings reached even eight stories.
9:40	·	Their numbers also continued to grow. By the mid-fourth century, their count exceeded 45,000,
9:46	·	when one must consider that Rome had already been invaded multiple times by barbarians
9:51	·	and ravaged by fires, including the Great Fire that occurred during Nero's reign. By the way,
9:57	·	fires were perhaps one of the greatest threats to these buildings because
10:00	·	although the lower floors were typically constructed from stone or brick, the upper
10:05	·	stories, as we established earlier, were hastily assembled from lower-quality wood or even rubble.
10:10	·	The danger of fires drew attention from none other than Juvenal, who rhetorically asked
10:10	·	in one of his works, "Oh, when will I be able to live in a place where there are no fires,
10:10	·	where nights are free from alarms!" Although the buildings constructed in
10:12	·	Rome were often built hastily and from inferior materials, their owners still
10:16	·	cared about their durability and relative longevity. The situation was quite different
10:21	·	for buildings that had to be reconstructed after fires. Fires were indeed common,
10:26	·	and they especially started on the upper floors, where the flames from fireplaces
10:30	·	or oil lamps would directly affect wooden walls. Fires were frequent and devastating,
10:36	·	and there was no state fire department in Rome until the 1st century. The market loophole was
	·	Marcus C.
10:41	·	filled by Marcus Licinius Crassus, who created his own organization,
10:46	·	which was a combination of a fire brigade and a rather aggressive insurance company. Plutarch,
10:52	·	among others, examined his activities, providing us with an account of the ingenious business idea
10:56	·	that this Roman politician had come up with. Observing how natural and familiar at Rome
11:02	·	were such fatalities as the conflagration and collapse of buildings, owing to their being too
11:07	·	massive and close together, he proceeded to buy slaves who were architects and builders. Then,
11:13	·	when he had over five hundred of these, he would buy houses that were afire,
11:17	·	and houses which adjoined those that were afire, and these their owners would let go at a low price
11:23	·	owing to their fear and uncertainty. In this way the largest part of Rome came into his possession.
11:31	·	Crassus trained 500 men divided into firefighting, demolition, and construction brigades. He would
11:36	·	then wait for fires to occur, which were quite frequent in the city. When a fire broke out,
11:41	·	he and his group would go to the scene, and then, at a significantly reduced price,
11:46	·	he would acquire the burning building. His people would either extinguish the fire in the Insula or
11:51	·	secure its remains, after which they would build an even shoddier structure on its ruins. When this
11:57	·	dubious renovation was completed, sometimes the owner was offered the option to repurchase it,
12:03	·	but more often, only the lease of the entire building was offered. In this,
12:07	·	rather non-ethical way, Crassus became the owner of many properties in Rome,
12:11	·	but he can also be seen as one of the first enthusiasts of passive income.