Excavating the Roman Peasant

Bowes et al examine the Roman Peasant Project, the first organized attempt to excavate the houses and farms of peasants living between the 2nd century BC and the 6th century AD. By revealing the buildings in which they lived and worked, by analyzing the seeds and animal bones that remain of their meals, and by mapping their local resources, they hope to reveal the lived experiences of this largest, most invisible group of ancient Romans. They also set out to challenge perceptions of what it meant to be a "peasant" or "poor" in the Roman world.