How Roman Villa Owners Spent Their Leisure

2051 Words9 Pages
In looking at the different ways in which Roman villa-owners spent their leisure, and before we can reflect on different ideas about its value and purpose. It must be first under stood in the study of history we can never be totally sure of the facts and even though an effort is made to find reliable sources and to provide an objective assessment of the evidence. We can never be sure of the validity of our information or its correctness. Modern historians usually have a point of view which informs their writing and it is it almost impossible for anyone to be totally objective. In Latin, the word 'villa' means simply 'farm', but archaeologists generally mean something grander when they talk of Roman villas. The Roman villa was far more than what could be described as a farm. It was constructed by the more affluent and educated members of Roman society. Its purpose was to have a luxury country retreat to get away from the stressful demands of city life. Place individuals could choose to use their leisure time in different ways; these ways were aided by the design and décor of the interior and exterior of the villa, as well as its location to fully exploit their most prized leisure time. The villa helped individuals relax and to achieve the aspirations to make the best use of their leisure time to its fullest. The designs of the villas were not dependant on the bricks and mortar but rather on the location that was chosen and the surrounding landscape The way in which villa owners chose to spend their leisure may have been influenced by the various philosophers’ interpretation on leisure. Philosopher’s such as Aristotle (384-322 BCE) who believed leisure is defined as those "activities by which human beings learn and grow and thereby acquire one or more intellectual virtues . . . of art, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. . . . Leisure is learning in all the ways
Open Document