PR-2237IRE Ancient Rome

Farming
‘O tillers of the soil, most happy men!’ said the great Roman poet Virgil as he described farmers. But
many farm workers were prisoners of war who became slaves working on the country estates of
wealthy partrician Roman families. The Punic Wars against the Carthaginians had provided Rome
with many slaves, but cultivation of the land by slave workers gradually changed over the years. In
time, free men began to produce crops on tenant farms rented from landowners. Female slaves were freed and
encouraged to produce large families to provide future farm workers.
As the Romans became undisputed rulers of the Mediterranean region, the opportunity to acquire slaves by
waging war against neighbouring nations was greatly reduced because of the prevailing peace. As a result, the
number of huge farming estates with hundreds of slaves gradually declined.
In the ‘Mediterranean climate’ regions there were heavy winter rains, so Roman farmers had to ensure their
fields were well drained. They dug drainage ditches across their land and filled them with twigs or stones.
The farmers in conquered nations had to grow more crops for they also had to provide food for the Roman
troops in their area and sell any surplus food to pay taxes to the emperor. The huge quantities of grain needed for
Rome’s own population meant a lot had to be imported from various provinces in the Empire, especially Egypt.
Hazel and willow trees were grown to provide slender stems for basketry work and temperate zone trees like
beech, oak and elm were used for charcoal burning or timber for construction purposes.
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