The Roman Peasant Project 2009-2014: Excavating the Roman Rural Poor (University Museum Monograph, 154)

This book presents the results of the first systematic archaeological study of Roman peasants. It examines the spaces, architecture, diet, agriculture, market interactions, and movement habitus of non-elite rural dwellers in a region of southern Tuscany, Italy, during the Roman period. Volume 1 presents the excavation data from eight non-elite rural sites including a farm, a peasant house, animal stall/work huts, a ceramics factory, field drains, and a site of uncertain function, here framed as individual chapters complete with finds analysis. Volume 2 examines this data synthetically in thematic chapters addressing land use, agriculture, diet, markets, and movement. The results suggest a different, more sophisticated Roman peasant than heretofore assumed. The data suggests that Roman peasants particularly in the first century BC/AD built specialized sites distributed throughout the landscape to maximize use of diverse land parcels. This has important implications for the interpretation of field survey data, the estimate of rural demographics from that survey, and assumptions about the long-term changes to human settlement. It also points to an important moment of agricultural intensification in this period, a contention beginning to be supported by other studies. The project also identified sophisticated systems of land use, including crop rotation and an important investment in animal agriculture. This work presents the first systematic data from Roman Italy for rural consumption, tracking the fine wares made at a production site to local sites nearby. This supports the largely theoretical problematizing of the so-called consumer city model and suggests the potential importance of rural aggregate demand. Movement studies, based on finds from the sites themselves, describe a more mobile population than anticipated, engaged in quotidian and long-distance movement patterns, supported by the small but steady stream of imports and exports into and out of this seemingly liminal region. The book concludes by addressing the implications of this new data for major questions in Roman social and economic history. Cover The Roman Peasant Project 2009–2014 Excavating the Roman Rural Poor VOLUME 1 Volume 1 Title Volume 1 Copyright Contents Author List Acknowledgments and Dedication Ceramic References and Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables Part I: Old Questions and New Data 1 Introduction: Inventing Roman Peasants 1.1 Peasants: Definitions 1.2 Historiography I: Roman Peasant History and the Ancient Swerve 1.3 Historiography II: Archaeology and the Peasant Swerve 1.4 Project Questions and Hypotheses 1.5 Volume Outline 2 Methodologies 2.1 Precepts (KB) 2.2 Archeology in Roman Social History (KB) 2.3 Methodologies 2.3.1 Field Survey (MG) 2.3.2 Site Selection (KB) 2.3.3 Geophysics (MG) 2.3.4 Excavation (KB, MS) 2.3.5 Ceramics Analysis (EV) 2.3.6 Faunal Analysis (MM) 2.3.7 Land Analysis (AA) 2.3.8 Movement (AA, CG) 2.3.9 Geological Materials (AA) 2.3.10 Botanical Analysis (AMM) 2.3.11 Small Finds Analysis (SCE) 2.4 Quantification (KB) 3 Land and Locale 3.1 Locale (KB, CG) 3.2 Land (AA) 3.3 Vegetation (ER) 3.4 Human Activity in a “Liminal” Landscape (KB) 3.5 Human Activity in the Commune of Cinigiano (KB, MG) 3.6 Characteristics of the Locale (AA, KB, MG) 3.7 Conclusions (KB) Excavations 4 Pievina 4.1 Situation (AA, MG) 4.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 4.3 Excavation (KB) 4.4 Chronology (EV) 4.5 Ceramics (EV) 4.6 Faunal Materials (MM) 4.7 Geological Considerations, Land Units, and Evaluation (AA) 4.8 Botanical Materials 4.9 Coins (FM) 4.10 Small Finds (SCE) 4.11 Glass (SCE, ERR) 4.12 Building Materials (AA) 4.13 Discussion (KB) 5 Case Nuove 5.1 Situation (AA, CG, EV) 5.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 5.3 Excavation (KB) 5.4 Residue Analysis (AP, MACO) 5.5 Discussion of Excavation Results (KB) 5.6 Chronology (EV) 5.7 Ceramics (EV) 5.8 Faunal Materials (MM) 5.9 Botanical Materials (AMM, ER, RR) 5.10 Geological Considerations, Land Evaluation/Use, and Mobility (AA, CG, AM) 5.11 Coin Finds (FM) 5.12 Small Finds (SCE) 5.13 Glass (SCE, ERR) 5.14 Building Materials (AA) 5.15 Discussion (KB) 6 San Martino 6.1 Situation (AA, MG) 6.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 6.3 Excavation (KB) 6.4 Chronology (EV) 6.5 Ceramics (EV) 6.6 Faunal Materials (MM) 6.7 Land Units and Evaluation (AA) 6.8 Botanical Materials (AMM, ER, RR) 6.9 Coins/Small Finds (SCE) 6.10 Building Materials (AA) 6.11 Discussion (KB) 7 Poggio dell’Amore 7.1 Situation (AA, MG) 7.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 7.3 Excavation (KB) 7.4 Chronology (EV) 7.5 Ceramics (EV) 7.6 Faunal Materials (MM) 7.7 Geological Features, Land Units, and Land Evaluation (AA) 7.8 Botanical materials (AMM, ER, RR) 7.9 Coins/Small Finds (SCE) 7.10 Glass (SCE, ERR) 7.11 Building materials (AA) 7.12 Discussion (KB) 8 Colle Massari 8.1 Situation (AA, MG) 8.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 8.3 Excavation (KB) 8.4 Chronology (EV) 8.5 Ceramics (EV) 8.6 Faunal Materials (MM) 8.7 Botanical Materials (AAM, ER, RR) 8.8 Hydrological/Geological Contexts, Land Units, and Land Evaluation (AA) 8.9 Small Finds (SCE) 8.10 Building Materials (AA) 8.11 Discussion (KB) 9 Podere Terrato 9.1 Situation (AA, MG) 9.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 9.3 Excavation (KB) 9.4 Chronology (EV) 9.5 Ceramics (EV) 9.6 Faunal Materials (MM) 9.7 Hydrological/Geological Contexts, Land Units, and Land Evaluation (AA) 9.8 Botanical Materials (AAM, ER, RR) 9.9 Coins/Small Finds (SCE) 9.10 Glass (SCE, ERR) 9.11 Building Materials (AA) 9.12 Discussion (KB) 10 Marzuolo 10.1 Situation (AA, MG) 10.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 10.3 Excavation (KB, EV) 10.3.1 Area I 10.3.2 Area II 10.3.3 Area III 10.4 Ceramics (EV, KB) 10.5 Faunal Materials (MM) 10.6 Hydrological/Geological Contexts, Land Units, and Land Evaluation (AA) 10.7 Botanical (AMM, ER, RR) 10.8 Coins (SCE) 10.9 Small Finds (SCE) 10.10 Glass (SCE, ERR) 10.11 Building Materials (AA) 10.12 Discussion (KB) 11 Tombarelle 11.1 Situation (AA, MP) 11.2 Remote Sensing (MG) 11.3 Excavation (KB) 11.3.1 Area I: Phase 1? and 4 11.3.2 Area II: Phase 1 11.3.3 Area III: Phase 3 11.3.4 Area IV: Phase 2 11.4 Chronology (EV) 11.5 Ceramics (EV) 11.5.1 Phase 1 (Area II) 11.5.2 Phase 2 (Area IV) 11.5.3 Phase 3 (Area III) 11.5.4 Phase 4 (Area I) 11.6 Faunal Materials (MM) 11.7 Hydrological/Geological Contexts, Land Units, and Land Evaluation (AA) 11.8 Botanical Materials (AAM, AF, ER, RR) 11.9 Coins/Small Finds (SCE) 11.10 Building Materials (AA) 11.11 Discussion (KB) VOLUME 2 Volume 2 Title Volume 2 Copyright Part II: A New Synthesis 12 Where Did Roman Peasants Live? Habitation and Distributed Habitation 12.1 Definitions: House and Households (KB, CG) 12.2 Peasant Houses and Households in Roman Central Italy (KB) 12.3 The Spaces and Activities of the Roman Peasant Project (KB) 12.4 Parsing the “Domestic” (KB) 12.5 Correspondence Analysis (SCE) 12.6 Distributed Habitation and the Temporal Spectrum (KB) 12.7 Distributed Habitation in Context (KB, CG) 12.8 Implications for the Roman Agrarian Landscape (KB) 13 Agriculture and Land Use 13.1 Land Suitability in the Project Area (AA) 13.2 Land Use in the Project Area (AMM, ER) 13.3 Plant Accumulation and Transport (AMM, RR) 13.4 Land Use versus Land Suitability (AA, AMM) 13.5 Land Use, Distributed Habitation, and Intensified Agriculture (KB) 13.6 Crop rotation: Evidence and Implications (AAM, KB) 13.7 Pasture, Mixed Farming and Its Implications (KB) 13.8 Animal Husbandry Strategies (MM) 13.9 Conclusions: An “Extensive-Intensive” Agricultural System (KB) 14 Diet, Dining, and Subsistence 14.1 Dietary Staples: : Grain, Legumes, Fruits, and the Missing Vegetables (AMM, ER, RR) 14.2 Meat in the Peasant Diet (MM) 14.3 Cooking and Diet (MM, EV, KB) 14.4 Dining and Diet (KB, EV) 14.5 Subsistence, Surplus, and Storage (KB) 14.6 Conclusions (KB) 15 Non-Agricultural Production, Markets, and Trade 15.1 Money (SCE) 15.2 Production and Consumption inside the Locale (KB, EV) 15.2.1 Origins of Goods: Imports and the Local 15.2.2 Production and Consumption inside the Locale 15.2.3 Production for the Locale and for Export: The Case of Marzuolo 15.3 Geographies of Exchange (CG) 15.4 Conclusions (KB) 16 Architecture and Recycling 16.1 Materials and Form 16.2 Recycling 16.3 Negative Space: Installations and Yards 16.4 Permanence and Friability 16.5 Conclusions 17 Mobility 17.1 Landscapes and Movement 17.2 Evidence for Mobility 17.3 Landscapes, Ancient and Modern 17.4 Establishing Parameters for Movement 17.5 Scales of Movement 17.5.1 Occasional Mobility 17.5.2 Episodic Mobility 17.5.3 Quotidian Mobility 17.6 Conclusions: Meaning and Familiarity, Time and Place 18 Conclusions: The Roman Peasant Reframed 18.1 Landscapes 18.2 Demographics 18.3 Agriculture and Productivity 18.4 Labor 18.5 Land Tenure and Power 18.6 City, Country, and Peasants 18.7 Wealth and Poverty 18.8 Peasants in Time and History 18.9 Extendability 18.10 Future 19 Appendices 19.1 Community Projects with the Commune of Cinigiano (MC, MG, KB) 19.2 Ceramics Classes, All Sites (EV) 19.2a Ceramics Classes, All Sites (EV) 19.2b Ceramics Form/Function, All Sites (EV) 19.3 Faunal Materials 19.3a NISP Relative Frequencies for Consumed Taxa, All Sites (MM) 19.3b Minimum Number of Individuals (=MNI) by Taxon, Age Category, and Site, All Sites (MM) 19.3c Cattle – Relative Frequency by Skeletal Part Category, Calculated on the Basis of NISP and MNE, All Sites (MM) 19.3d Sheep/Goat – Relative Frequency by Skeletal Part Category, Calculated on the Basis of NISP and MNE, All Sites (MM) 19.3e Pig – Relative Frequency by Skeletal Part Category, Calculated on the Basis of NISP and MNE, All Sites (MM) 19.3f Relative Frequency of UNID Counts by Site, All Sites (MM) 19.4 Pollen - Composite Pollen Table, All Sites/Phases in Chronological Order (AMM/ER) 19.5 Coins - Catalogue of Coins (SCE) 19.6 Small Finds 19.6a Catalogue of Small Finds (SCE) 19.6b Small Find Counts by Site (SCE) 19.6c Iron Nail Dimensions (SCE) 19.6d Copper Nail Dimensions (SCE) Bibliography "This book presents the results of the first systematic archaeological study of Roman peasants. It examines the spaces, architecture, diet, agriculture, market interactions and movement habitus of non-elite rural dwellers in a region of southern Tuscany, Italy, during the Roman period. The first half of the book presents the excavation data from eight non-elite rural sites including a farm, a peasant house, animal stall/work huts, a ceramics factory, field drains and a site of uncertain function, here framed as individual chapters complete with finds analysis. The second half of the book examines this data synthetically in thematic chapters addressing land use, agriculture, diet, markets and movement. The results suggest a different, more sophisticated Roman peasant than heretofore assumed. The data suggests that Roman peasants in the 1st c. BC/AD particularly built specialized sites distributed throughout the landscape to maximize use of diverse land parcels. This has important implications for the interpretation of field survey data, estimate of rural demographics from that survey and assumption about the long-term changes to human settlement. It also points to an important moment of agricultural intensification in this period, a contention beginning to be supported by other studies. The project also identified sophisticated systems of land use, including crop rotation and an important investment in animal agriculture. The data similarly present the first systematic data from Roman Italy for rural consumption, tracking the fine wares produced at a production site to local sites nearby. This supports the largely theoretical new work problematizing the so-called consumer city model and suggests the potential importance of rural aggregate demand. Movement studies, based on finds from the sites themselves, describe a more mobile population that previously assumed, engaged in quotidian and long-distance movement patterns, data supported by the small but steady stream of imports and exports into and out of this seemingly liminal region. The book concludes by addressing the implications of this new data for major questions in Roman social and economic history"-- Provided by publisher

This book presents the results of the first systematic archaeological study of Roman peasants. It examines the spaces, architecture, diet, agriculture, market interactions, and movement habitus of non-elite rural dwellers in a region of southern Tuscany, Italy, during the Roman period. Volume 1 presents the excavation data from eight non-elite rural sites including a farm, a peasant house, animal stall/work huts, a ceramics factory, field drains, and a site of uncertain function, here framed as individual chapters complete with finds analysis. Volume 2 examines this data synthetically in thematic chapters addressing land use, agriculture, diet, markets, and movement.

The results suggest a different, more sophisticated Roman peasant than heretofore assumed. The data suggests that Roman peasants particularly in the first century BC/AD built specialized sites distributed throughout the landscape to maximize use of diverse land parcels. This has important implications for the interpretation of field survey data, the estimate of rural demographics from that survey, and assumptions about the long-term changes to human settlement. It also points to an important moment of agricultural intensification in this period, a contention beginning to be supported by other studies. The project also identified sophisticated systems of land use, including crop rotation and an important investment in animal agriculture. This work presents the first systematic data from Roman Italy for rural consumption, tracking the fine wares made at a production site to local sites nearby. This supports the largely theoretical problematizing of the so-called consumer city model and suggests the potential importance of rural aggregate demand. Movement studies, based on finds from the sites themselves, describe a more mobile population than anticipated, engaged in quotidian and long-distance movement patterns, supported by the small but steady stream of imports and exports into and out of this seemingly liminal region. The book concludes by addressing the implications of this new data for major questions in Roman social and economic history.

1.1. Introduction: Inventing Roman peasants (KB) -- 1.2. Methodologies (AA, KB, SCE, CG, MG, MM, JM, AMM, MS, EV) -- 1.3. Land and locale (AA, KB, CG, MG, ER) -- 1.4. Pievina -- 1.5. Case Nuove -- 1.6. San Martino -- 1.7. Poggio dell'Amore -- 1.8. Colle Massari -- 1.9. Podere Terrato -- 1.10. Marzuolo -- 1.11. Tombarelle -- 2.12. Where did Roman peasants live? : habitation and distributed habitation (KB, SCE, CG) -- 2.13. Agriculture and land use (AA, KB, MM, AMM, ER, RR) -- 2.14. Diet, dining, and subsistence (KB, MM, AMM, ER, RR, EV) -- 2.15. Non-agricultural production, markets, and trade (KB, EV, SCE, CG) -- 2.16. Architecture and recycling (KB) -- 2.17. Mobility (CG, AA) -- 2.18. Conclusions: the Roman peasant reframed (KB, CG) -- 2.19. Appendices