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]
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).
- ^ Varro, de Rustica I.11, 13
- ^ Columella I.4 § 6
- ^ Annalia Marzano: Roman villas in central Italy: a social and economic history. Brill 2007, ISBN 978-90-04-16037-8 (restricted online copy at Google Books)
- ^ Alfred Frazer: The Roman villa: villa urbana. UPenn Museum of Archaeology 1998, ISBN 978-0-924171-59-8 (restricted online copy at Google Books)
- ^ Alexander Gordon McKay: Houses, villas, and palaces in the Roman world . JHU Press 1998, ISBN 978-0-8018-5904-5 (restricted online copy at Google Books)
- ^ John T. Smith: Roman Villas. A Study in Social Structure. Routledge, London, 1997. ISBN 0-415-16719-1
- ^ John Percival: The Roman Villa. A Historical Introduction. Batsford, London, 1988 (Paperback)
- ^ Pliny, II.17