The price of living in Rome must have been substantial. A tombstone from a shared tomb outside Rome bears an inscription termed “The Tenant’s Lament” for the ex-slave Ancarenus Nothus. It reads: “My body knows no longer hunger . . . now it is no longer [paying] deposit on the rent, but enjoys for free an eternal lodging.” As people migrated to Rome seeking opportunities, they would have faced daunting housing challenges. Ancarenus Nothus, who belonged to a lower urban class, likely lived in an insula (Latin for “island”). Insulae were apartment buildings that often occupied entire city blocks and may have risen up to eight stories. Their ground floors typically housed shops, while the upper floors were crammed with cellae —single-room units arranged around a central light well. Long before the Industrial Revolution brought vertical living, the insulae pioneered the concept of the walk-up apartment.…