Marcus P. Cato 

d. 149 BC

Subsistence first!

wanted to make sure farmers did not just produce grain but cash crops: olives, grapes, and other fruit.

Said farms needed to be spread out to account for droughts 

When it was dry, they brought the animals up tot eh mountains: transhumance

The shephards were basically slaves to the owners of the animals

Even at the height of Roman agriculture, there were sill food shortages b/c of the difficulty of importing. 

Marcus T. Varro

d. 27 BC 

Started the first public Library at Rome

Influenced the transgression from subsistence farming to Specialization

He encouraged an increased acre size

Encouraged raising exotic foods: dove, peacock; in Pompei

Described aviaries: cage or glass?

Described all kinds of seafood 

Villa urbana 

Encouraged raising thoroughbred horses for hunting and racing

The Roman cavalry wanted very strong horses: the Frisian from Britain were a large build.

Villa rustica; plan of Boscoreale 

Villa rustica

where the slaves lived

When owner visited, there was special tableware for him. 

where owner lived

pleasant country living

Wealthy Roman senators had plenty of these scattered along the Mediterranean coast.