Residential Villas in Late Antique Italy: Continuity and Change

Abstract

This paper surveys the architectural development of Italian villas with residential characteristics for the 4th–6th c. A.D. Literary sources relevant to aristocratic life in the countryside are also considered. Two broad phases of villa development are identified. During the late 3rd and 4th c. A.D. many villas were rebuilt, with some traditional and some new features. In the 5th and 6th c. A.D. new coherent plan types and further new features appear, such as fortifications and Christian religious buildings. Nevertheless, even in this later period, villa sites can show much continuity with the classical villa tradition. The evolution of Italian villas can generally be related to changing aristocratic lifestyles and ideas of leisure as described by the literary sources, though the relationship between archaeology and the texts is complex