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Roman Chairs
The lectus had a wooden frame with leather straps that held
a mattress stuffed with straw or wool or feathers. At one
end of the lectus there was always an arm although many of
theses couches also had backs and two arms. The lectus was
made even more comfortable by the
addition of pillows, cushions and a
coverlet made using the finest
fabrics.
The
legs of the lectus were often expensively decorated with
precious metals and made of ivory. Mention is made even of
frames of solid silver. The meal time custom of reclining at
meals was introduced from the nations of the east, and was
at first adopted only by the men, but afterwards allowed
also to the women. The women were expected to act with some
decorum and therefore sat upright on the couches rather than
adopting a reclining position. For the poor, or informal
meals, food was eaten from normal tables and chairs. The
lectus was multi-functional item forming the basis of
Roman style bedroom furniture.
Ancient Roman Meals
Roman Chairs - Sella , the
ordinary chairs of Ancient Rome
Sella was the name given to
the ordinary chairs used by the Ancient Romans. They were
similar to our kitchen or din9ing chairs.
Roman Chairs - - The
Lectica, portable couches
The lectica was a kind of
portable couch or litter, in which persons, in a lying
position, were carried from one place to another. They were
used for carrying the dead and also served as convenient and
comfortable means of transport for the living. The lectica,
or portable couches, were only used by the wealthy and made
of expensive materials such as marble and ivory, often
decorated with gold leaf and decorated with expensive
hangings. They were quite common in Ancient Rome, though
they were chiefly used in journeys, and in the city of Rome
itself only by ladies and invalids. Romans were carried in a
lectica by slaves (lecticarii) by means of poles (asseres)
attached to it, but not fixed, so that they might easily be
taken off the portable couch when necessary. The number of
lecticarii employed in carrying one lectica varied according
to its size, and the display of wealth which a prominent
Roman might wish to make. The ordinary number was probably
two but it varied from two to eight.
Roman Chairs at the Colosseum
There was no wood
used in the seating area of the Colosseum - it was made of marble.
The common people (the Plebs) sat on wooden
planks placed on the marble seats, however the elite and the
wealthy were far more
comfortable. The senators first sat on cushions at first and
then chairs, which were actually folding stools, were
used. These Roman chairs were called curules (sella
curulis). These were the chairs of state and were displayed
upon all great public occasions, especially in the circus
and theatre
Roman Chairs
- The Curule Chairs
The senators were allowed to
bring their own chairs to the Roman Colosseum which they moved about at will. These
chairs were a type of stool called curule chairs 'sella
curulis'. A curule chair was a stool supported on a
cross-frame and traditionally made of
ivory. The curule chair had curved legs which formed a wide 'X'.
This special type of chair had no
back, it was a stool with low arms. The curule chair could
be folded and therefore used as an easily transportable seat.
Roman Chairs -
The Imperial Box and the Emperor's chair (bisellium)
A total of 42 Roman
Emperors witnessed the carnage at the Roman Colosseum and it
was important that the emperors could see the action in the
arena and could be in turn seen by the massive crowds. The Roman Emperors sat
in an elevated imperial box which was erected on a platform called
the pulvinar which had stairs on one side. The Imperial box
used by the emperor and his family was raised above the podium on a dais. The emperors sat, or reclined, on a bisellium which was a richly ornamented
chair or seat of honor at the
games. The bisellium was so called because there was room for two
people to sit on, although only one person ever sat there - the
Emperor.
Roman Chairs
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