What was a Roman courtyard called?

• A. Atrium
• B. Peristyle
• C. Forum
• D. Domus

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is how Roman domestic spaces are named. A courtyard surrounded by a row of columns in a Roman house is called a peristyle. It typically forms a sheltered garden area and provides light and air to the surrounding rooms, reflecting the idea of “around columns.” The term comes from Greek, emphasizing the columned circular or rectangular colonnade around the open space.

The other terms describe different parts or ideas: an atrium is the main reception hall of a domus, often with an opening to the sky that lets light in and collects rainwater in a basin; the forum is the city’s public square for markets and civic life; and domus is simply the word for a Roman house itself, not the courtyard feature.