While the monumentalization of Megara Hyblaia’s urban space reached an acme during the reign of Hiero II (275-215 BCE), domestic architecture started to develop only by the end of the 3rd cent. BCE. Then, houses were gradually equipped with cement floors, plastered walls and structures to manage household waste such as cesspits and drains. The developments correlated with the introduction of new types of rooms, namely latrines, bathrooms, and, to a lesser extent, reception rooms. Production workshops in domestic space, like bakeries or wineries, also benefitted from these technical innovations. During the 2nd and 1st cent. BCE, Megara Hyblaia appears to have been quite a lively town whose inhabitants enjoyed henceforth a new domestic comfort.
Talk
Housing at Megara Hyblaia in the late Hellenistic period. Evolutions and new features
Frédéric Mège