House R2 (Tang R2)
description: House R2 (Tang R2) is an elite Roman domus in the Roman City of Emporiae, located near the forum. The building shows four major construction phases, which can be clearly understood through its plan and surviving architectural features. By comparing the archaeological drawings with the 3D reconstructions and excavation photographs, the transformation from two smaller atrium houses into one large, luxurious residence becomes visible. In the earliest phase (early 1st century BC), the property consisted of two separate houses, each with a central atrium opening to the western cardo and a simple rear garden (hortus). The layout at this stage is compact and symmetrical, following the typical Italic atrium-house model. In the second phase, one house (R2A) expanded dramatically by consuming both original gardens, extending eastward beyond the city wall, and adding a spacious 400 m² peristyle garden surrounded by porticoes. The rooms along this garden show a shift toward openness, natural light, and elite display culture. The later phases reveal further architectural refinement. The former hortus of the second house (R2B) was converted into another peristyle garden (35a) with porticoes on three sides and a curved wall with window openings toward the garden, an unusual and elegant feature visible in Tang’s reconstruction. The addition of a bath suite on the west and a monumental eastern hall (room 46) in the final phase demonstrates increasing wealth and a move toward villa-like comfort. The plans show extended porticoes forming wind protection, and the small painted altar with a serpent and cock suggests domestic cult activity tied to the garden spaces. From visual study of the plans, images, and garden reconstructions, House R2 can be understood as a residence that gradually evolved into a highly designed architectural environment where gardens, porticoes, and interior suites were integrated into a unified elite lifestyle.
creator: Unknown
source: Adapted images and plans from Mar and Ruiz de Arbulo, Ampurias Romana (1993).
source: Adapted from Tang, Delos, Carthage, Ampurias (2005
date: First phase: 1st quarter of the 1st century BC (begun)
date: Second phase: 2nd third of the 1st century BC (expansion)
date: Third phase: 1st century AD (peristyle addition)
date: Fourth phase: Late 1st – early 2nd century AD (eastern reworking)
contributor: Mursal Abdullah
format: Roman domus with atrium(s) and peristyles
format: Domestic / Elite residential
language: Empúries (L’Escala), Catalonia, Spain
type: Garden