Roman Villa Culture

Life in the Roman Villa

Every ancient civilization has architectural feats that influence their culture and society, and the Roman Empire is no exception. The transition into the sophisticated culture the occurred in Roman society is known as Romanization. One large part of this movement was the construction of the Roman Villa. Sellers states, “… the idea of a house built away from the city in a natural setting captured the imagination of wealthy patrons and architects,” (1). Roman Villas had great influence on Rome’s development into a higher society through cultural changes, investment and economic patterns, and daily life.

The roman villa originated in the western farmland of the ancient Roman Empire (Freeman 533). It is defined simply

as, “a farmstead attached to an estate, with farm buildings and accommodation for the estate owner when he wanted to visit. Orchards, fields, and vineyards surrounded Villas, which were all large sources of revenue for wealthy villa owners” (Marks, Anthony, Tingay 56). There were three main types of villas: The villa suburbana was a residential farmstead on the outskirts of town, the villa Martinae, a luxury villa by the sea, and the villa rustica, a farmstead built around a courtyard (Adkins 148). Some beautiful villas were situated on the coasts of Baiae, Naples, and Capri, which attracted rich tourists and regal families (Percival 87).
The Roman Villa influenced the life of families through increasing the popularity of farm life and changing the way in which the higher classes lived. Wasson writes in his journal about roman daily life, “Regardless whether rich or poor, tenement or villa, the fundamental social unit throughout the empire was the family,” (1). He also claims, “Daily life in Rome was completely dependent on one’s economic status. In villas such as the subrubana, families lived together in the main house and enjoyed many luxuries such as baths and mosaic murals (Smith 58). The lower classes resided in crowded apartments in the city. The family villa was also an important part of the Roman inheritance (Smith 17). Fathers had absolute power over the family, and could control every aspect of the children and wife’s life. The villa changed the way the higher classes spent their time and money and altered the ideal roman dream. The rich went from living in cities to residing in the lush countryside of the Mediterranean, isolated from bustling life. In the Usborne Internet Linked Roman encyclopedia, it is written, “Though the Romans were sociable, they also valued the privacy off their country life,” (Marks, Anthony, TIngay 57). The family’s relationship with slave workers drastically changed with the growing popularity of villa life. According to Natasha Sheldon, and her writings about roman domestic slavery, “The slave was a part of the family, and the family often became attached to them, (1).
Romans began to conduct business differently as well. Transactions were made inside the villa in the morning, and in the afternoon, owners and associates retired to the spacious gardens (Smith 172). These transactions were typically accompanied by food and wine prepared at the villa by the slaves (Wasson 1).This way of conducting business changes the day-to-day life of businessmen and allowed for a more relaxed and high-class lifestyle for all involved.
The villa influenced Roman society by altering social classes and changing relationships between the different economic groups.

The Roman villa Urbana was owned by Patricians, which were Roman aristocrats or noblemen (Alchin 1). According to J.T. Smith, “the roman society was dominated by landowners, great and small,” (5). There was a system of social and political classes based on the ownership of land (Percival 119). The main classes represented in villa culture were slaves, artisans, and owners. There were several jobs and groups necessary for the building of villas: artisans such as mosaic layers, tilers, builders, plasterers, engineers, and artists. Pliny described a cultural experience that was an extreme contrast to life in urban Rome and mentioned the relations between groups of people (Bostock and Riley 87). Ultimately, The life in the roman villa fueled a movement of a need for luxury vacationing and popularized farm life. Artisans, slaves, and rich countrymen were all united together as the Roman villa increased in demand and

popularity.
Slaves and masters’ relationships were greatly impacted by the Romanization caused by the Roman villa. To keep the farmstead functioning properly, slaves remained at the villa year round and therefore developed a close relationship with their masters (Sheldon 1). However, this is not to say that they were looked at as equals. Roman slaves were always looked at as less than no matter the house. The size of the home reflected the multitude of servants occupying the villa, and the smaller the house, the closer the two social classes. (Smith 1). Religion also united the slaves and masters together. Religious shrines built inside the villas united both the slave and free as one in the worship of the gods (Sheldon 1). Sheldon states, “Inscriptions have been found on some household shrines in Pompeii which demonstrate the loyalty and concern slaves felt for their masters,” (Sheldon 1). Those inscriptions had prayers for owner’s safe return and overall prosperity. To sum it up, “increasing prosperity leads to an intensification of the social divisions and ultimately to the growth of an agrarian upper class,” (Percival 134).
Economic patterns were affected by the development of roman villas by altering tenure patterns and the way the upper class made money. John Percival believes that “rich men had money to invest and poor men, their farms laid waste and neglected through years of campaigning, had land sell,” (119). A Roman’s economic stance dictated the type of building they lived in, but everyone could move up the ladder (Allchin 1). The rise of the villa was also a result of the expansion of the empire and the uneven distribution of wealth from new conquests (Applebaum 77). The real-estate market was full of rich roman men, all demonstrating an obvious increase in squirearchy or landowners who have political or social influence (Percival 120). As the economy became more stable, more villas were built (Applebaum 83). The typical house can be distinguished from a villa if there is evidence of Romanization (Freeman 153).
The Roman villa became prosperous due to the agricultural surplus and the increasing demand for luxury products, which inadvertently contributed to Romanization (Percival 35).

Atkins says in The Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, “the distribution of villas tended to cluster around towns that provided profitable markets,” (149). Most of the money made through these exchanges was on olive oil and wine (Marks, Anthony, Tingay). Slave workers conducted all of the business at the marketplace. Along with increased market success, the demand for luxury décor increased, which fueled a need for artisans (Bostock and Riley 82). Pliny wrote of the ornate designs in his villa, and the large volume of them (Bostock and Riley 83). Art painted by skilled artists revealed historical scenes of roman battles, and mosaic designs were laid by the thousands by experts (James 24). These murals and other artistic pieces employed painters and craftsmen and expanded the creative

market.
Though villas were only one option for housing in Rome, they had one of the greatest impacts on society. The Villa altered the family life, social relations, and economic successes of the Roman Empire. Linda Alchin expresses in her book titled Roman Villa that “The grandeur of their architecture reflected the social changes of the people of Rome – The Romans were conquerors of half the civilized world” (Alchin 1). The Roman Villa ultimately stood for the power of the upper class of Rome, and the goals achieved by the empire as a whole.