Gardens and Neighbors: Private Water Rights in Roman Italy

Abstract

This is the first in-depth study of Roman water rights in Italy. As is increasingly true today, fresh water in ancient Italy was a limited resource, made all the more precious by the Roman world's reliance on agriculture as its primary source of wealth. But beyond practical uses, water was also a status symbol, sought by the elite as a means of supplying ornamental gardens and fountains and luxury baths. From estate to estate, the availability of water varied, in many cases forcing farmers in need of access to resort to the law.In Gardens and Neighbors: Private Water Rights in Roman Italy, Cynthia Bannon explores the uses of the law in controlling local water supplies. She investigates numerous issues critical to rural communities and the Roman economy. Her examination of the relationship between farmers and the land helps draw out an understanding of Roman attitudes toward the exploitation and conservation of natural resources, and builds an understanding of law in daily Roman life.

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