Rome and the Social Role of Elite Villas in its Suburbs

This study provides the lirst comprehensive analysis of the various villa sites in the region in order 10 differentiate the various intentions that lay behind their construction over time. This includes an analysis of the coastal villas near Ostia, the estates in the Alban Hills, the socio-political function of Imperial residences and how each site can bc used to understand the social climate of the hinterland beyond the capital up until the end of the 2nd Century AD, but there have also been some examples taken from a 3rd Century contcxt as well, which have been used on a largely comparative basis. However, the main focus is upon the development of villas around the capital into the first two centuries of the Roman principate.