Roman City Life in Cramped High-Rises
By the time of Augustus, most Romans lived in apartment buildings up to seven stories tall—without elevators.
Unknown — "Marble relief fragment with gladiators" (1st–3rd century CE), public domain
Seven Floors, No Stairs to Spare
Ancient Rome’s insulae towered over the streets—some seven stories high by the 2nd century CE. The poorest lived at the top, climbing dozens of stairs, carrying all their water, food, and even bedding up every day.
Ancient Urban Perils: Fire and Collapse
These buildings were notorious for collapsing or catching fire. Roman writer Juvenal joked that the first thing you heard in the night was your neighbor falling through the floor. Safety was a luxury.
Called insulae, these crowded brick-and-timber blocks packed hundreds of residents together. Archaeological remains in Ostia and Rome show just how vertical Roman urban life became. Fire, collapse, and lack of plumbing were constant threats, but city life boomed upward anyway. The penthouse wasn’t for the rich—it was the cheapest, hottest, and riskiest floor.
