Along the Rhône
River was the commercial zone and associated residential quarter of
St.Romain-en-Gal. In the 1st-3rd centuries AD this community had a number
of private dwellings with hypocausts or furnaces with hot air vents. This
view shows tiles piled.up to support the floor of a house, under which warm
air would be circulated. Similar hypocaust techniques were used in the caldarium
or hot room of Roman baths.
Nearby, the Musée archéologique de St. Romain- en- Gal-Vienne displays many of the finds from these houses, including a spectacular collection of mosaics and paintings.
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[Fig.1: Hypocaust in St. Romain en Gal (photo: Athena Review).]
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