Houses. The types of homes the Romans inhabited depended upon several factors, including their social and economic status, their preference for urban or rural environment, and their professional occupations and needs. Poor farmers, for example, needed to live close to the land they cultivated, while Roman politicians needed to live close to or even in the cities where they worked. Although city dwellers typically lived and worked in the same place, wealthy Romans often had more than one house so that they could enjoy both the convenience of living close to their workplace as well as the peace and quiet of life outside the cities. Also, when wealthy Romans traveled, it was convenient to stay in one of their own houses or the houses of their wealthy friends rather than at an inn. Poor Romans did not...