sight
Today, only the mosaic floor and part of the walls remain of this room, but originally its structure resembled the form of a small temple. It was, in fact, the sacred place of the late antique residence, where the Lares were worshipped, ancestors who became protective deities of the family. Every morning there was a real ritual, in the early hours of the morning, as soon as the dominus and his family woke up after the quiet of the night. If we went back in time, we would see the servants presenting the owner of the villa with offerings to be placed inside the lararium, in front of a flame that lit up the representations of the deified ancestors, guarantors of the continuity and well-being of the familia. Symbols of good luck, such as the ivy leaf, also stand out in the centre of the floor mosaic!
hearing
Because of its location close to the Vestibule, in the public path through the Peristyle, the small apsidal chamber was immersed in the echo of the voices of those walking inside the long colonnaded portico during the day. Only during the ceremony held in the presence of the dominus, when the late antique villa came to life at the first light of day, could the ritual prayer that accompanied the votive offering to the ancestors, protectors of the familia, be heard. It was accompanied by the soothing sound of water gushing from the large fountain in the garden.
smell
The smell of incense and other aromatic substances that were burned during the votive offering mingled with the scent coming from the lush vegetation of the garden behind the small temple. In the worship that took place within the domestic walls, the offering usually consisted of a foodstuff, which could be smelled because of its nature, which also followed the seasonal production of the latifundium surrounding the Roman Villa del Casale.
touch
The small aedicula, dedicated to the worship of the Lares, was filled with terracotta, bronze or silver representations of the ancestors of the dominus‘ family. Even today, we can still recognise the remains of the marble slabs that covered its walls, underlining the representative role of this place, aimed at the self-celebration of the owner of the late antique residence and his lineage.
