places like Thessalonica, Corinth, Colossae, and Ephesus were probably not the domus, owned by only the very wealthy, but the insula, a type of apartment building that housed most people in the cities of the empire. The typical insula contained a row of shops on the ground floor that faced the street. Behind the shop, or above it, was living space for the owners, their families, guests, and retainers, including employees, servants, and slaves. The same complex would have manufacturing space for the