Alyssa C

Period G

• Rectangular area of building plots within a town
• Cities overpopulated by the end of the 1^st century
• Place for people with little money
• Buildings were two or more stories high
• Bottom level usually had shops facing the streets
• No running water
• No bathrooms
• No light
• Risk of fire because it was made of mud bricks or wood
• 6 to 8 apartment blocks made up one Insula
• Usually had an open courtyard in the center
• Most common form of living for the poor
• Augustus limited the height of the Insula to 60 Roman feet (5 stories)
• After Nero created fire codes they were (supposed to be) built from fired bricks or concrete