1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Oecus

←Oecumenical

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 20 Oecus

Oedipus→

See also Oecus on Wikipedia, and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.

OECUS, the Latinized form of Gr. οἶκος, house, used by Vitruvius for the principal hall or saloon in a Roman house, which was used occasionally as a triclinium for banquets. When of great size it became necessary to support its ceiling with columns; thus, according to Vitruvius the tetrastyle oecus had four columns; in the Corinthian oecus there was a row of columns on each side, virtually dividing the room into nave and aisles, the former being covered over with a semi-circular ceiling. 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.