Villas and Agriculture in Republican Italy

What is it about?

The scholarly approach to the Roman villa finds itself at something of a crossroads, particularly with respect to the villas of the Republican period in Italy. This chapter explains the archaeology of villas in Republican Italy, highlighting debates that center on questions related to the origins of villa architecture, the morphology of villas, and also their agricultural functions. Taken together with constant revision and down‐dating of the architectural remains from the Vesuvian sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the arena of Early and Middle Republican villas is now one in which a great deal is at stake. Yet the importance of archaeology can be felt especially in terms of the way in which we view and understand the Late Republican cultural milieu. To that end Republican agriculture arealso discussed, with the overarching goal of contextualizing the villa and its function within the framework of Republican Italy.

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