Greek house
The ancient Greek house varied in design according to the period and the wealth of the owner, but there were three common features. The house was divided into two parts; the men’s apartments (andron) and the women’s apartments (gynaeceum or gynaekonities). The entrance door of the house opened into a vestibule (prothyron); on both sides of the vestibule, in the interior, were the doorkeeper’s room and shops for business and work. The vestibule led to an open court (aula) which was surrounded on three sides by columns, in the middle of which was the altar of Zeus Herkeios, the patron deity of domestic life. Large houses usually had a second court entirely surrounded by columns. At the sides of the aula were rooms for eating, sleeping, and storage, as well as cells for the slaves. On the sides of the court opposite the vestibule there were no columns, but two pilasters which marked the entrance to an open room or vestibule called the prostas or parastas. On one side of the parastas was the sleeping room of the master and mistress of the house (thalamos). Some houses had an upper story, usually smaller in area than the lower story. The roof of the Greek house usually was flat. The rooms usually were lighted through doors which opened into a court. (Harris, 1977)