Across the English countryside, the remains of large rural homesteads that date to the time of the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered by archaeologists. These archaeological sites can tell us a lot about the buildings that once stood, particularly about the development of so-called ‘villa rustica’ properties that were such a feature of ancient Roman agrarian life.
The term villa rustica was used by the Romans to describe a grand house, located in a countryside setting, that provided a home for the owner and their family as well as accommodation for the workers of the estate and spaces for storage and farm animals. The name for these houses distinguished them from the villas located in or on the outskirts of Roman cities and towns. These country villas were…
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All About History (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 147