Carroll, M. (2026). "Urban House East of Forum." Gardens of the Roman Empire, accessed October 2, 2026. https://roman-gardens.github.io/id/39d7c6a7c0/

Urban House East of Forum

Published: 2026-10-01
Last modified: 2026-10-02

Dates

second century CE to last decade of third century CE

Excavation Dates

unspecified

Place Description

In this city on the Moselle river there were many luxurious houses and palaces of the type with peristyle courtyards, particularly in the late Roman period when Trier was the imperial residence in the West. Unfortunately, very few complete plans of these buildings exist, and almost nothing is known about the presence or absence of gardens within them.

Garden Description

In only one of the excavated houses of the second and third century in two insulae east of the forum beneath the imperial baths can gardens be shown to have existed. This house was demolished when the imperial baths were erected in the last decade of the third century. It seems to have occupied an entire insula measuring 55 x 100 meters. (Fig. 1). An atrium (A on plan) was built in the west wing of the building in the first half of the second century. The atrium was later transformed into a garden with planting beds and a pool. Around the middle of the third century this garden was abandoned. The house also boasted a large peristyle courtyard on the east which may have been planted (G on plan), but for a garden there is no direct archaeological evidence.

Bibliography

  • W. Reusch, "Wandmalereien und Mosaikboden eines Peristylhauses im Bereich der Trierer Kaiserthermen," Trierer Zeitschrift 29, 1966:187-235. (worldcat)
  • W. Reusch, "Die Ausgrabungen im Westteil der Trierer Kaiserthermen", Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission 51-52, 1970-71: 252-270, 281, Beilage 30. (worldcat)

Keywords

Places