It’s also worth mentioning that the climate where these were built was, how they say in the real-estate business as, really fucking nice. They had doors, but walking through an open-air courtyard to get between rooms was hardly an inconvenience for interior comfort. I think doors were really just for privacy and maybe some rudimentary security at the front entrance.
Did the Romans have doors? Or did they use curtains or something similar? What was more common?
I see several curtains in the picture but I’m not sure if there’s a door somewhere.
Yes they had doors. The giant bronze doors of San Giovanni in Laterano are the original doors from the Roman Senate.
Most areas that lead to courtyards are curtains to help with airflow while ones that open out to the public are wood.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plaster_cast_of_folding_doors,_Pompeii.jpg
It’s also worth mentioning that the climate where these were built was, how they say in the real-estate business as, really fucking nice. They had doors, but walking through an open-air courtyard to get between rooms was hardly an inconvenience for interior comfort. I think doors were really just for privacy and maybe some rudimentary security at the front entrance.