Ancient World Seminar: Tymon de Haas (University of Groningen) 'Centuriatio: Roman land divisions and their economic, environmental and historical significance’

Abstract

Cities, the Latin Language and the army are amongst the most important and well known instruments of Roman Imperial expansion – they all contributed much to the political, economic and cultural changes that occurred in the territories conquered by Rome. Centuriatio, the rational division of landscapes according to regular geometric systems, is a much less known yet, one could argue, equally influential aspect of Roman Imperial expansion. In the wake of Roman conquest hundreds of these systems were laid out, converting thousands of square kilometers of land in the Mediterranean and the northwestern provinces. Building upon on-going research by the author, this lecture explores the historical significance of these land division systems. While centuriation is often considered a highly rigid and standardized phenomenon, it is argued that these systems are equally characterized by diversity – in their chronological contexts, functions and material forms, as well as in their impact upon landscape, economy and society.

About the speaker

Tymon de Haas is Assistant Professor in Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Groningen and guest researcher at Leiden University. His research concerns the landscape, environment, and economy of the Italian peninsula with a focus on early Roman central Italy. He is co-director of the Pontine Region Project, which in its current phase aims to develop new multidisciplinary approaches to study human-environment interactions in rural landscapes.