But for the slaves of the poorer owners, then a hole in the ground will be all that would be expected. These were known as slave-workhouses or ergastula and slaves were often rounded up at night like herds of cattle and locked into these houses for the night. It could be said that animals were housed better than these slaves were. It can also be said that the health of these slaves would be poor, especially in the colder months, What many slave owners didn't realise was that the ergastula's were a containment for disease which would eventually spread. These slaves however, may have lived better than those that were in the cities as most slaves had to be kept relatively fit in order to maintain the farms.
In the bigger cities, such as Rome and Pompeii, there was a great concentration of people. One reason for this was that many people were forced off their land, most probably from empire expansion. So the cities themselves were quiet well populated, with estimates of a population of over one million for the city of Rome . Because of the enormous population that needed to be housed, three groups of housing emerged which also reflected social status. These were the domus, which were well-kept and decorated homes, usually found on slopes or hills . The insulae, which can be considered as an apartment complex or "block of flats" and the alternative accommodation which basically, included anything with a roof as shelter, such as archways, bathhouses, tombs, brothels and taverns.
The Domus, was a well secured and elaborately decorated home which reflected the status of the wealthier class of citizen. For these reasons they too were protected from the filth that surrounded most of the city of Rome. The people who lived in these dwellings were often politically motivated and this reflected the way in which they lived. The insulae was like a block of flats or an apartment complex. These dwellings were usually 3 or 4 stories high and housed many people.
