Families in ancient Rome all lived in one house, including grandparents and great grandparents. The poorer, lower class families lived in apartments or flats called insulae. They consisted of one or two rooms and were used mainly for sleeping. The apartments had no running water or toilets. The apartments were usually built above shops and businesses and the shopkeepers would live there with their families. Rich, upper class families lived in single family homes called a domus that contained a central courtyard. The other rooms in the house would surround the courtyard. The rich families would decorate their houses with colored walls and mosaics to signify their wealth.

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