The Countryside in the Roman Empire by Lane Allison;

Author:Lane, Allison; [Lane, Allison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing LLC

In November, farmers planted winter wheat and barley. December was the month for fertilizing grape vines, planting beans, and cutting wood. Moreover, olives were now ripe and ready to pick. They had to be handled carefully. Some olives were intended to be eaten, but most were pressed to make olive oil. Both the grape and olive harvests required many extra workers, so landowners or farm managers would hire local people or, in some parts of the empire, nomads to help out.

After all of this, farmers got a bit of a rest in January. They cut willow branches and reeds for basketmaking and other uses, repaired tools, and the like. Then in February it was time to start tending the grapevines and weed the grain fields, getting them ready for the next planting.

OTHER OCCUPATIONS

While most people in the countryside worked at farming, rural areas also had some craftspeople, such as carpenters and blacksmiths; service workers, such as innkeepers and bakers; and what we would call professionals, particularly doctors and veterinarians. These people might be part of the labor force on a large estate, or they might live in a village and be available to anyone in the surrounding area.

A great many herders, in some parts of the empire, lived apart from village and estate life for much of the year. In spring, they drove huge flocks of sheep or goats, or herds of cattle, up into mountain pastures, and there they stayed until autumn. This was a hard, lonely, and even dangerous existence. The herders followed their animals over steep and difficult terrain and were outdoors all day in all kinds of weather, with only little huts for shelter. As Varro wrote, “The type of man selected for this work should be strong, swift, agile and supple of limb; men who, as well as following the flock, can also defend it against wild beasts and robbers; men able to lift loads on to the backs of pack-animals, to dash out ahead, and to hurl javelins.”

In coastal areas and around rivers and lakes, fishing was often more important than farming or herding. Some fishermen owned their own boats and equipment. Others might lease vessels and gear from someone else, in exchange for money or part of the catch. Seaside villas often included fish farms, with one or more tanks for breeding fish.

Mining was the major activity in many rural districts. Most miners were slaves or convicts, and their lives were miserable.

BOUNTIFUL HARVESTS?

Farmers’ yields depended on a number of factors: the size of their farm, the types of crops planted, and weather conditions. Perhaps the most important factor was the help they had planting and harvesting. As we’ve seen, it took workers of all kinds to run a farm in ancient Rome—just like today. In the next chapter, we’ll explore what life was like for Roman men in the countryside.

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