Oecus is the Latinized form of Greek oikos, used by Vitruvius for the principal hall or salon in a Roman house, which was used occasionally as a triclinium for banquets.[1]
When of great size it became necessary to support its ceiling with columns; thus, according to Vitruvius, the tetrastyleoecus had four columns; in the Corinthian oecus there was a row of columns on each side, virtually therefore dividing the room into nave and aisles, the former being covered over with a barrel vault. The Egyptian oecus had a similar plan, but the aisles were of less height, so that clerestory windows were introduced to light the room, which, as Vitruvius states, presents more the appearance of a basilica than of a triclinium.[1]
Vitruvius distinguishes four types of oecus:
Tetrastylos: with four columns;
Corinthian: with a row of columns supporting an architrave topped with a cornice and a vaulted ceiling;
Egyptian: particularly magnificent form of the oecus, with columns running all around, which support a gallery also provided with columns;
Cycicene (κυζίκηνοι from Cyzicus, an ancient city in Mysia): a very spacious, north-facing garden oecus common among the Greeks.
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