Sacra privata in the Roman domus Private or Public? A Study of Household Shrines in an Architectural Context at Pompeii and Ostia

The household shrines, or lararia, in private dwelling houses at Pompeii and Ostia are discessed according to the following parameters: type of lararia and their orientation, the rooms/spaces in which the lararia appear in the house, major movement lines within the house, deep-view axes and other viewed lines, the size of the houses, and the region in which the houses are situated. The aim of this paper is forst, from a synchronic point of view, to investigate which types of lararia were placed in what architectural contexts, in a private or public position, within the house. Then a diachronic view is adopted to see if there are changes over time. A tabular catalogue of all lararia registered in private dwelling houses at Pompeii and at Ostia is appended.