Studies in Roman Property By the Cambridge University Research Seminar in Ancient History

This book examines various aspects of Roman property.

The actual practice of the Romans with regard to property and investment must be distinguished from the formal rules of the emperors and the moralistic generalizations of the ancient writers. With this in mind the Cambridge Research Seminar in Ancient History spent two years examining various aspects of Roman property, investigating individual topics in greater detail than has been attempted before. The studies which make up this volume deal with Roman investment in property - scale and concentration of holdings, rural and urban property, methods of exploitation and how this was organized, and the extent of marginal lands. The editor has formed the volume into a coherent unit by eliminating excessive duplication and overlapping between chapters. The book is of particular value to specialists in ancient history, economic and social history and in Roman law, but also contains materials of interest to medieval and agrarian historians.

Preface; 1. Introduction M. I. Finley; 2. Some configurations of landholding in the Roman empire R. P. Duncan-Jones; 3. Imperial estates Dorothy J. Crawford; 4. Classical Roman law and the sale of land John Crook; 5. The Ciceronian aristocracy and its properties Elizabeth Rawson; 6. Private farm tenancy in Italy before Diocletian M. I. Finley; 7. Urban property investment Peter Garnsey; 8. Agri deserti C. R. Whittaker; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

The actual practice of the Romans with regard to property and investment must be distinguished from the formal rules of the emperors and the moralistic generalizations of the ancient writers. With this in mind the Cambridge Research Seminar in Ancient History spent two years examining various aspects of Roman property, investigating individual topics in greater detail than has been attempted before.