The atrium was the central living space in the Roman house. It was a large airy room with an opening or compluvium in the ceiling for light and rain to enter. Directly below the roof opening was a shallow pool or impluvium to catch rainwater and provide an attractive environment. The atrium was frequently decorated with wall paintings and mosaic or marble floors.

This space was the heart of the Roman house and the matrona or older Roman woman, would have spent a great deal of time in this area managing the daily activities of the house. She would have filled the atrium with symbols of the family's life and wealth, like weaving looms, the ancestral shrine and a lararium or shrine of the household gods.