ROMAN COUNTRY HOUSES
A WebQuest
Created by:
Daniel P. Switala
In addition to his city house, called a DOMUS, a wealthy Roman often owned a country house, called a VILLA. This VILLA could be a VILLA URBANA, a large, comfortable country house similar to a DOMUS, or a VILLA RUSTICA, a country house with a working farm. Both types of VILLAE contained features found in the city DOMUS. In this WebQuest you will learn the differences between the two VILLAE and create a floor plan or model of one type.
Your patron, the famous orator Gaius Lucius Loquax, has recently married and is in the market for a new VILLA. He isn't sure if he wants a large VILLA URBANA, or a VILLA RUSTICA. He also isn't sure if the house should be in the country, in the mountains, or near the shore. He has assembled his clients to present them with a challenge. He wants them to select a suitable site, draw up plans for both types of VILLAE , and persuade him of the advantages of each. He will then choose which plan is the best and reward the client who created it most generously. Your task, then, is to choose a suitable site for the new VILLA, design either a VILLA URBANA or a VILLA RUSTICA that will take full advantage of the site you have chosen, and give a persuasive, illustrated presentation of your plan.
There are three phases to this project:
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Research the layout and contents of a city DOMUS; |
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Research the
layout and contents of several VILLAE URBANAE and VILLAE RUSTICAE
built in different locations; |
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Choose the type
of VILLA you want to illustrate. Create a model or a floor plan, and
write a persuasive script for your presentation. |
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PHASE
1: The DOMUS |
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Before you research the VILLAE, you must be familiar with the layout of the city DOMUS. Use the following web links to answer the following questions:
1. Who could own a DOMUS?
2. What were the most essential features of a DOMUS?
Use these links:
SEARCHABLE PLAN OF A ROMAN HOUSE
DOMUS CUTAWAY ( The description is given in Latin.)
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PHASE
2: the VILLA |
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Research each type of country house. Answer the following questions for each type:
1. Where is this VILLA located?
2. What advantages does this location offer?
3. What features does this type of VILLA have in common with a DOMUS?
4. What features are unique to this type of VILLA?
5. How does the location influence the layout of the VILLA?
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VILLA
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VILLA
RUSTICA |
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VIRTUAL TOUR OF A VILLA RUSTICA IN GERMANY
FLOOR PLAN OF A SPANISH VILLA RUSTICA (You will need a Spanish dictionary to translate the names of the different parts of the VILLA.)
MODEL OF THE WHITEHALL VILLA RUSTICA
PHASE 3: CREATING YOUR PRESENTATION
Use the information you gathered in the web searches and do the following:
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1. |
Choose which type of VILLA you will illustrate.
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2. |
Choose a site - countryside, mountains, sea shore - for your VILLA. Be sure to include some representation of your site in your model or on your floor plan.
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3. |
Either build a model of the VILLA or draw a detailed floor plan. In either case use color to indicate the different parts of the VILLA and add as much detail as possible.
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4. |
Write
a script in which you explain the advantages of the type of VILLA you
chose, take a tour of the VILLA using your model or floor plan, and
show how the location site adds to the beauty and usefulness of the VILLA.
Be as persuasive as possible. BE SURE TO READ THE EVALUATION
PROCESS TO ASSURE THAT YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED. |
In addition to the web sites given above, you may also want to consult the following books:
Hodge, Peter.
"Villas", pp. 47-56, The Roman
House.
Johnson, Mary. "Life in the Country," pp. 56-71, Roman Life.
Scott, Foresman and Co.,
Mc Kay, A. G.
Houses, Villas and Palaces in the Roman World.
Paoli, Ugo Enrico.
White, K. D. Roman Farming.
Your project will be evaluated using the following process:
PRESENTATION ( 1 POINT EACH)
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Eye Contact |
_____ |
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Voice Projection |
_____ |
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Confidence and
Poise |
_____ |
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Total _____ X 2
= |
_____ |
QUALITY OF MODEL / FLOOR PLAN (3 POINTS EACH)
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Neatness |
_____ |
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Color Coded
Identifications |
_____ |
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Items Properly
Identified |
_____ |
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Creativity |
_____ |
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Accuracy of
Details |
_____ |
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Total _____ X 2
= |
_____ |
QUALITY OF INFORMATION (4 POINTS EACH)
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Evidence of
Research |
_____ |
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Accuracy of
Information |
_____ |
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Clearness of
Information |
_____ |
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Total _____ X 2
= |
_____ |
TOTAL: _____________________ / 60
This WebQuest has given you an understanding of the various types of country houses available to the Romans, and an opportunity to be creative in demonstrating your newly learned knowledge. If you would like to put your knowledge to further practice, try creating for yourself a model or floor plan of a modern country house along the lines of either a VILLA URBANA or a VILLA RUSTICA.