I. The fore-court, hall, entrance-room, entry; that part of the Roman house into which one first came after passing the entrance (janua); cf. Vitr. 6, 4; O. Müller, Archaeol. III. § 293, and Etrusk. above cited. In earlier times, the atrium was used as a dining-room, Cato ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 726. Here stood, opposite the door, the lectus genialis, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 87; “here sat the housewife with her maidens spinning,” Arn. adv. Gent. 2, 67; “here clients were in attendance,” Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 31; Juv. 7, 7 and 91; “and here hung the family portraits and other paintings,” Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 55; Mart. 2, 90; Val. Max. 5, 8, 3; Vulg. Matt. 26, 58; ib. Marc. 14, 54; ib. Joan. 18, 15 al.—Poet. in the plur., of a single atrium: “Apparet domus intus et atria longa patescunt,” Verg. A. 2, 483; so Ov. M. 14, 260; Juv. 8, 20 al.—Meton. for the house itself: “nec capient Phrygias atria nostra nurus,” Ov. H. 16, 184; id. M. 13, 968.—So of the entrance-room in the dwelling of the gods: dextrā laevāque deorum Atria nobilium (as it were clients, v. supra) valvis celebrantur apertis, Ov. M. 1, 172; Stat. Th. 1, 197.—
II. In temples and other public buildings there was often an atrium, a hall, court: “in atrio Libertatis,” Cic. Mil. 22, 59; Liv. 25, 7; 45, 15; Tac. H. 1, 31; Suet. Aug. 29: “Vestae,” Plin. Ep. 7, 19, 2; “also called atrium regium,” Liv. 26, 27; cf. Ov. F. 6, 263; id. Tr. 3, 1, 30: “atrium tabernaculi,” Vulg. Exod. 27, 9; ib. Lev. 6, 26: “in atriis Domūs Dei,” ib. Psa. 91, 14; 134, 2; “Smith, Dict. Antiq.—So atrium auctionarium,” an auction-hall, auction-room, Cic. Agr. 1, 3; so Inscr. Orell. 3439; and absol., atria: “cum desertis Aganippes Vallibus esuriens migraret in atria Clio,” Juv. 7, 7. Such halls were the Atria Licinia, Cic. Quinct. 6, 25: ATRIVM SVTORIVM, the shoemakers' hall, a place in Rome, Calend. Praenest. Inscr. Orell. II. 386.
