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hypocaust
A hypocaust (Latin ''hypocaustum'') was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek ''hypo'' meaning "under" and ''caust-'', meaning "burnt" (as in ''caustic''). The Roman Vitruvius, writing about the end of the 1st century BC, attributes their invention to Sergius Orata.
==Roman operation==
Hypocausts were used for heating hot baths, houses and other buildings, whether public or private. The floor was raised above the ground by pillars, called pilae stacks, with a layer of tiles, then a layer of concrete then another of tiles on top; and spaces were left inside the walls so that hot air and smoke from the furnace would pass through these enclosed areas and out of flues in the roof, thereby heating but not polluting the interior of the room. Ceramic box tiles were placed inside the walls to both remove the hot burned air and to heat the walls. Rooms requiring the most heat were placed closest to the furnace, whose heat could be increased by adding more wood to the fire. It was labour-intensive to run a hypocaust, as it required constant attention to tend the fire, and expensive in fuel, so it was a feature of the villa and public baths.
Vitruvius describes their construction and operation in his work ''De architectura'' in about 15 BC, adding details about how fuel could be conserved by designing the hot room or caldarium for men and women to be built next to one another, adjacent to the tepidarium so as to run the public baths efficiently. He also describes a device for adjusting the heat by a bronze ventilator in the domed ceiling.
Many remains of Roman hypocausts have survived throughout Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. The hypocaust was an invention which improved the hygiene and living conditions of citizens, and was a forerunner of modern central heating.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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