Countryside farmhouse or villa during the Roman era From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Villa rustica (transl.farmhouse or countryside villa) was the term used by the ancient Romans[1][2] to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large agricultural estate, sometimes called a latifundium. The adjective rustica was used only to distinguish it from a much rarer sub-urban resort villa, or otium villa built for purely leisure and luxury, and typically located in the Bay of Naples. The villa rustica would thus serve both as a residence of the landowner and his family (and servants) and also as a farm management centre. It would often comprise separate buildings to accommodate farm labourers and sheds and barns for animals and crops.[3][4][5][6][7]
Scale model of a Roman villa rustica. Remains of villas of this type have been found in the vicinity of Valjevo, Serbia.
The villa rustica's design differed, but usually it consisted of two parts; the pars urbana (main house),[8] and the pars rustica (farm area).
Die Römer am Wolfartsberg. (Heimatblätter des Heimat- und Kulturvereines Haueneberstein e.V., Nr. 3). haueneberstein.deArchived February 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
Gerhard Hoffmann: Spuren früher Zeiten – Funde und Fundstätten im Landkreis Rastatt. Eine Materialkunde zur Vor und Frühgeschichte. Bestandsaufnahme und Dokumentation. (Sonderveröffentlichungen des Kreisarchivs Rastatt, Band 5). Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher u. a. 2007, ISBN978-3-89735-495-1. (Abstract)Archived March 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
