SOMNUS IN URBE: ПРОБЛЕМА СНУ В СТАРОДАВНЬОМУ РИМІ

The purpose of the study is to investigate the phenomenon of sleep in urban Rome, with particular attention to its disruptions, cultural perception, and implications for Roman urbanism and social stratification. The research methodology is based on the general scholarly methods, including analysis,synthesis, and content analysis of literary and legal sources, and is guided by the principles of scientific rigor.Scientific novelty lies in its focus on the underexplored aspects of sleep in the context of Roman daily life and urban space. Conclusions. In ancient Rome, sleep was not merely a biological necessity but a marker of social status, shaped by the city’s physical infrastructure, daily rhythms, and stark socioeconomic divides. While theaffluent could retreat to private domus in quieter, elevated districts or rural villas, the urban poor – crammed into “insulae” in noisy, congested quarters – faced constant auditory disturbances that undermined rest.Nighttime cart traffic, daytime commerce, and the demands of early-morning obligations such as the salutatioall contributed to a restless urban existence. Literary sources underscore these challenges, often contrasting the privileged silence enjoyed by the wealthy with the unrelenting clamor endured by the lower classes. Sleep, then, emerged not only as a physiological need but also as a luxury – accessible in its fullest form primarily to those who possessed magnae opes. In this context, the ability to sleep soundly functioned as a subtle butpowerful index of inequality in the Roman metropolis.