5 - House of Skeletons

The House of Skeletons owes its name to the late Roman and medieval cemetery that was located above its remains, after the demolition it suffered to make way for the construction of the Late Roman Empire wall, at the end of the 3rd century or the beginning of the 4th century AD. The graves in this cemetery were responsible for the degradation of some of its mosaics. However, the large living room of the owners of the house, which the Romans called a cubiculum, survived in a remarkable state of preservation. Its mosaic is one of the masterpieces of mosaic art in Conimbriga during the 3rd century AD. Another larger mosaic, which decorated the dining room, is still in its original lime mortar support. Due to its fragility, it has to be covered with sand to ensure its survival. Although of modest dimensions among the aristocratic residences of Conimbriga, the House of Skeletons is a fine work of architecture. A central axis organized the entrance, the central peristyle, and the large dining room, called the triclinium. The central peristyle was landscaped, with a simpler arrangement than those known in other houses in the city, but which seems to have had water features. From this central axis, the house was organized with the other rooms. However, some parts of the building were independent, such as the series of shops opening onto a narrow alley that separated the house from the public bath. These shops seem to have served as bars, as one of them shows the setup for a small kitchen.