Subsistence Farming in Roman Italy

Much has been written of the prosperous villa estates of Imperial Rome with their extensive corn-lands and sheep cuns. But what of the smallholders, cottagers and shepherds, who at the beginning of the Roman period formed the majority of the population of Italy, and always remained a part of it? Did their families really subsist on less than a hectare of land? How did the colonists fare on their centuriated holdings?

This book is an attempt to answer such questions and to discuss various aspects of the economy of the small farm in Italy from the fifth century Re. to the second century A.D., including food marketing, buildings and communications. Pastoralism and transhumance, with its characteristic routes often still visible today, are also important topics. The rustici will be viewed here not primarily in their role as citizens or soldiers, but in the day-to-day life of the cural environment. In addition to the literary evidence, comparative studies and the finds of archaeology help us to gain a better understanding of these 'people without a history'.