Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Vestibulum

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

VESTIB'ULUM (πρόθυρον). Not our vestibule; but an entrance-court, or court-yard before a house (Aul. Gell. xvi. 5. Vitruv. vi. 7. 5. Plaut. Most. iii. 2. 133.), a temple (Cic. Verr. ii. 2. 66.), a set of baths (Id. Cael. 26.), or any other edifice, immediately in front of the main entrance (Cic. Caecin. 12.), and produced by running out the side-walls beyond the facade of the building, as represented by the annexed example (Vestibulum/1.1), from an ancient Roman fresco painting. It was not roofed in, but formed an area between the street and mansion, open in front, and closed at the sides by a wall, colonnade, or, as in the example, by a range of apartments containing the stabling and coach-houses, with other conveniences for the household. (Vitruv. vi. 5. Juv. vii. 126.) The open courts in front of some of the great houses in London — the old British Museum, for instance, — if the screen were removed, would afford a complete example of the Roman vestibulum, which was only an adjuct to grand buildings (Vitruv. l. c.), and consequently is not once met with in the small provincial town of Pompeii.

• 
  Vestibulum/1.1