The Auditorium site in Rome and the origins of the villa

The archaeology of Roman villas is based on a very rich body of evidence found across the entire Roman world and dating to a very broad chronological spectrum. Yet there are still crucial related issues, such as that concerning the origins of this type of settlement, not to mention the problem of its very homogeneity as a category, that have been debated on the basis of a surprisingly limited amount of factual information. In situations of this kind it is only to be expected that even individual new discoveries can alter the current wisdom. As a case in point, some recent discoveries made in Rome seem to contribute to our understanding of early Roman élite rural settlements and their relationship with Late Republican villas. As frequently happens, the new material has also stimulated a reconsideration of the existing evidence from a different perspective.