Hypocaust
device · 100 BC · Ancient world
Roman underfloor heating with hot air.
What it is made of
- Firebox — has part. A furnace outside the building.
- Space under floor on brick pillars — has part. A space under the floor on brick pillars.
- Wall heating flues — has part. Pipes in the walls for hot air.
Principles and materials it uses
- Convection — uses. Hot air under the floor.
- Brick — is made of. The pillars of a hypocaust are brick.
- Combustion — uses. Hot air from the furnace heats the floor.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Central heating — evolved into. The Roman hypocaust was an early central heating system.