Plant Use and Agriculture in Roman Italy

Abstract

This article features an archaeobotanical meta-analysis of plant macroremains from the whole of Roman Italy. The aim is to further refine understandings of ‘Roman’ foodways, and to highlight the ways that Roman expansion impacted the core of the Empire itself. The study builds upon previous regional overviews by expanding the geographical focus, integrating fully quantified data and wild/weed seed analysis, and broadening the topical range so as to consider not only dietary patterns, but also agricultural practices and fuel use throughout Roman Italy. The majority of the dataset is derived from published archaeobotanical reports, and consists of macroremains from archaeological sites in Italy dating from 500 BC to AD 500. In utilising such a broad chronological framework, changes in the plant repertoire may be better elucidated. The data are further divided according to geographical region and site type, and ancient literary sources are used to contextualise patterns observed in the dataset. The findings shed light on diverse agricultural practices, as well as trends effecting the distribution of key cash crops, which suggest that imperial expansion may have affected the olive oil and wine industries differently. Other observations include regional variations in consumption patterns and cultural preferences for specific nut varieties. A peak in dietary diversity can be observed in the Roman Imperial period, followed by a decline in the Late Roman period.