The domus was the urban family dwelling of Roman families of high social class. Developed in Italy, it spread to the provinces as a clear, emphatic mark of Romanization.

At Lucentum, various domi have been excavated, but the domus with the peristyle has provided the most information.

The below image shows a recreation of the morning salutation (salutatio) in the peristyle, a covered gallery supported by columns or pillars surrounding an open courtyard. In Roman society, most citizens depended on a rich landlord as their patron. Every morning, during the salutatio, these dependents would come to the domus to offer their compliments and receive a stipend or gift of some kind. Normally, in Italian homes during the Republican and early Imperial eras this took place in the atrium, but it has been recorded as having occurred in other spaces as well, such as the atrium. Given that the domus at Lucentum has no atrium and access from the street was through the peristyle, it is easy to suppose that the rite would have taken place there.

This image reproduces the plastering and painting of the walls of the domus near the East Gate of Lucentum.

In the MARQ there is a reproduction of the conserved remains of the painted murals that would have adorned the walls of the domus near the East Gate of Lucentum.

…and the painted motifs that would have adorned its ceilings.