Walking in the ancient neighbourhood under the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece, we can see House Θ, one of the oldest residences unearthed in the excavation.
Photograph: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos © Acropolis Museum
It was built in the end of the 5th cent. BC and survived until the end of the 6th century AD with many repairs and reconstructions over its millennium-long history.
Reconstruction drawing: Alexandros Nikas © Acropolis Museum
The rooms of the house are arranged around a small inner courtyard. Particularly prominent is the andron, or men’s banquet room, where the homeowner hosted his friends with an eating and drinking party – the well-known symposium.
Reconstruction drawing: Alexandros Nikas © Acropolis Museum
It has a mosaic floor that provides a sense of luxury and allows the room to be easily cleaned with plenty of water following the banquet. In the first half of the 3rd cent. BC, the courtyard was converted into a workshop area.
Reconstruction drawing: Alexandros Nikas © Acropolis Museum
Perhaps it was a fullonica, a laundry facility, where people’s clothes are washed or new fabrics are processed and whitened before being sent for dying.
The remains chiefly preserved today are from the 5th and 3rd centuries BC, as well as some from the 6th century AD.
