Abstract
Geoff Adams
School of Classics, History and Religion
University of New England (Armidale, New South Wales)
The social role of villae suburbanae outside Pompeii
When examining the Roman house, one of the most topical areas of research in the past few years has been the question of room function. Conversely, the study of suburban villas (villae suburbanae) has been limited, usually by examining a sole suburban villa without analysis of these structures as a group. It is the intention of this paper to classify exactly what was meant by the ancient sources when the term villa suburbana was used and its social/functional implications. Examples of suburban villas outside Pompeii will then be analysed using a range of statistical data to determine the social roles that these complexes served. This has implications for not only our understanding of villae suburbanae outside Pompeii (and those in other regions of Italy), but also for the relationship between the city and its suburbium.
Return to CACW 2006 "Household and Society in the Ancient World" Program