Latifundia

• Latifundia were very large Roman agricultural estates manned by slaves.
• The centre of the Latifundium was the country villa or Villa rustica, managed by a Vilicus or Superintendant.

History

• The word Latifundia (Sing: Latifundium) is derived from: ‘Latus’ (Spacious) and ‘fundus’ (estate or farm).
• The Latifundia started out as small farms, which, over the centuries, were continually being bought out and consolidated into huge estates.
• By the second century CE, the Latifundia were the basis of the economy of the Roman Empire.
• They had a huge workforce of Roman Slaves and production was on an industrial scale.

Ownership

• The wealth of the Roman Senatorial class, was based on the ownership of Latifundia. This was the only acceptable form of wealth permitted to them, as they could not derive income from Commerce.
• To be a Roman Senator they had to own land worth a minimum of 1,000,000 sestertii.
• Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) stated that the Province of Africa Proconsularis was under the control of only six men who owned all the Latifundia.
• He also said that Crassus was the wealthiest man in the Roman Republic, owning Estates worth 200 million sesterces.
• The Roman Emperors also owned Latifundia.

Location of Latifundia

• Italy and Spain:
  • Sicily
  • Magna Graecia
  • Baetica
• The coastal plains of North Africa:
  • Mauretania Tingitana
  • Mauretania Caesariensis
  • Africa Proconsularis
  • Cyrenaica
  • Tripolitana
  • Egypt

Crops

• The Latifundia produced either:
  1. Olive Oil, Grain or Wine on an industrial scale, and exported their produce around the Mediterranean in Amphorae.
  2. or Livestock (cattle and sheep).

Workforce

• The majority of the workforce were Roman Slaves.

Latifundia Today

• Latifundia still exist today in Andalusia, Spain, southern Italy and Latin America, where they are known as ‘Hacienda’.