latifundia - what's that?What was its role in Rome?It would seem that may be easier to answer this question.However, the views of researchers on this matter differ.Each interprets the concept of estates in its own way.Consider some of the interpretation of this concept in more detail.
latifundia - what's that?
If you translate the word literally, then we get the "vast estate."At first glance, it's pretty simple.But modern historians have offered several options for determining the latifundia.They were based on the fact that "a vast estate" can be called the station and 100 South and 1000 South.
example, K. Bucher meant by vast latifundia economy, that is oikos with a lot of slaves.Slaves were divided into groups that are led by supervisors.These, in turn, lived in the barracks.And Graves, giving definition emphasized that the latifundia represent a kind of merger of small plots into one huge economy.A Schulten expressed a different view.He argues that the latifundia - a piece of land, which was used as pasture.But over time, this notion was transformed due to the fact that the allotment was divided into separate sections.However, landowners called the man who owned the estates in different parts of Italy.But later it began to be called the process of land concentration and began to appear huge estates.
definition of latifundia in the context of the economic life of Roman society
In the works of Weber opposed latifundia middle name that describes Cato.In particular, it was noted that the latifundia - a compact, put a fairly large size-intensive type of economic and rationally organized labor slaves.
George. Salvioli opinion that latifundia - is put, the profit from which exceed the needs of a family, and that she could not handle alone.When Cato considered latifundia put 150-200 South.The most widely received estates in sparsely populated areas.It is remarkable that they have been used extensively method of management.In general, the latifundia - a kind of feudal fiefdom, similar to the estates of Charlemagne.
Two types of large estates - what's the difference?
Soviet scientists conducted basic research on the Roman latifundia.Thus, M. Rostovtsev are two types of farms.The first type - is the large estates, which were significantly superior to Cato described the economy with thousands of slaves, master villa, colas, plows and even village where lived the slaves who worked on the plantations.Over time, the latifundia, organized this type worked exclusively on market capitalist model.Campanian latifundia - this is the second variant of the organization of management.This is not one of large estates, and the collection of several small areas.They were organized according to the type found not far from the small villas of Pompeii.
They were, in fact, capitalist enterprises.However, such an option of organization of large estates was atypical for Rome and met infrequently.
true opinion that the estates have ruined Italy?
As in many cases, the error in translation can serve as a reason for the larger error.Analyzing the phrase «lalifundia perdidere Italiam», which is owned by Pliny the Elder, M. Reinach says that it stands out from the general context, if translated it as "estates have ruined Italy."This undoubtedly points to the deplorable state of agriculture in Italy, and M. Reinach prefers to translate this phrase as "Italy is losing latifundia".In other words, the large slave estates are in decline.Moreover, this process took place not only in the vicinity of the capital, but also in the provinces.In any case, we can say that the latifundia - it is a large plot of land with slaves working on it.
