Description
An exploration of the Roman idea of living in the countryside in the Northwestern Roman Empire
The Northwest of the Roman Empire is the agricultural powerhouse that fed the large armies on the Rhine and Danube. North of the growing line of Olives and datepalms this means that the villas are likely to depend on cattle, grain and wine for their income. While large open courtyards were of dubious value in the regions north of the Alps. So how did Roman ideas of Living in a Villa adapt to the local conditions.
It is also an area that was newly settled by the Romans in the aftermath of the catastrophic results of the Gallic Wars for the local population. So how much of the Iron Age traditions survived? Did it make a difference, how close the Roman army was to the size and design of your villa?
