Villa Magna

About

Villa Magna is a large imperial ancient Roman villa near the modern town of Anagni, in Lazio, central Italy. The site lies in the Valle del Sacco some 65 km south of Rome, at the foot of the Monti Lepini, directly under the peak known as Monte Giuliano. The villa was excavated between 2006 and 2010. The location retains the name "Villamagna" attesting to the local memory of the imperial villa and its successive occupation as a monastery and lay community (casale), which have obscured the earlier remains. It was recognised as imperial property from the elaborate and exceptional winery described in letters by Marcus Aurelius in 140-5 AD.

The villa is likely to have been constructed over a Republican villa rustica. It may have become the property of Pompey the Great in the 60s BC and was taken over as imperial property after his sons' death. The villa was greatly expanded from the 120s AD and was used by Antoninus Pius (r.138-161). The elaborate winery and its use described in the letters of Marcus Aurelius indicate that the villa was used to hold an important regional religious and secular festival celebrating the vintage, the vendemmia for Latium. The power, wealth and extravagance of the emperor was emphasised in the winery which is an early form of ceremonial winery in imperial villas of the late 2nd to early 3rd century (such as the imperial Villa of the Quintilii ) which replaced the earlier integration of ceremony and ritual in Republican and Augustan atria.

In 207 under Septimius Severus the road that led to the villa was paved, according to an inscription now in the cathedral of Anagni.

Sometime afterwards (Phase II) the winery was modified including a new semi-circular room. Later (Phase III), the winery was levelled and useful materials removed followed by abandonment and roof collapse.

At the age of 23, the future emperor Marcus Aurelius visited the villa where his adoptive father Antoninus Pius was staying. In letters to his tutor, Fronto, he describes two days spent there at a festival inaugurating the vintage of Latium:

We set out to hunt, did great deeds; we did hear that boars had been captured but saw nothing ourselves. We did climb a steep enough hill; then in the afternoon we came home, I to my books. So taking off my boots and my clothes I read on my bed for two hours Cato ’s oration On the property of Pulchra and another in which he impeached a tribune. It is no good sending me books, for these have followed me here….

- We are well. I overslept a little, because of my slight cold, which seems to have calmed down. From five until nine I read Cato ’s Agricultura and wrote, less badly, thank god, than yesterday. Then I paid my respects to my father….Having cleaned my throat I went to my father and assisted him at sacrifice. Then I went to lunch. What do you think I ate? Just a little piece of bread, but I saw others devouring beans, onions and herrings filled with roe. Then we gave ourselves to the vintage, and sweated together and were joyous and so on, and as the author says ‘ we left some high bunches on the vines’. At the sixth hour we came home.

- I studied a little and badly. Then with my little mother sitting on the bed I chattered a lot… The gong rang, that is, it was announced that my father was going to the bath. Then we, bathed, ate in the oil pressing room – we didn’t bath in it, but had dinner having bathed, and happily heard the peasants jesting.

The earliest document attesting to the monastery dates from the 10th century and describes the foundation of the monastery by three nobles from Anagni. A series of very interesting charters and trials from the eleventh through 13th century speak to a small rural monastery with properties in the area of the original fundus, which despite its meagre size and income managed to become embroiled in regional and papal politics of the central Middle Ages, culminating in the suppression of the monastery in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII. After the death of the monastery, the village remained at least for a little while, however, as it is referred to as a castrum in 1301 and 1333, and a castrum dirutum in 1478. The castrum walls and church are still standing today.

The villa is likely to have been constructed over a Republican villa rustica. It may have become the property of Pompey the Great in the 60s BC and was taken over as imperial property after his sons' death. The villa was greatly expanded from the 120s AD and was used by Antoninus Pius (r.138-161). The elaborate winery and its use described in the letters of Marcus Aurelius indicate that the villa was used to hold an important regional religious and secular festival celebrating the vintage, the vendemmia for Latium. The power, wealth and extravagance of the emperor was emphasised in the winery which is an early form of ceremonial winery in imperial villas of the late 2nd to early 3rd century (such as the imperial Villa of the Quintilii ) which replaced the earlier integration of ceremony and ritual in Republican and Augustan atria.

In 207 under Septimius Severus the road that led to the villa was paved, according to an inscription now in the cathedral of Anagni.

Sometime afterwards (Phase II) the winery was modified including a new semi-circular room. Later (Phase III), the winery was levelled and useful materials removed followed by abandonment and roof collapse.

At the age of 23, the future emperor Marcus Aurelius visited the villa where his adoptive father Antoninus Pius was staying. In letters to his tutor, Fronto, he describes two days spent there at a festival inaugurating the vintage of Latium:

We set out to hunt, did great deeds; we did hear that boars had been captured but saw nothing ourselves. We did climb a steep enough hill; then in the afternoon we came home, I to my books. So taking off my boots and my clothes I read on my bed for two hours Cato ’s oration On the property of Pulchra and another in which he impeached a tribune. It is no good sending me books, for these have followed me here….

- We are well. I overslept a little, because of my slight cold, which seems to have calmed down. From five until nine I read Cato ’s Agricultura and wrote, less badly, thank god, than yesterday. Then I paid my respects to my father….Having cleaned my throat I went to my father and assisted him at sacrifice. Then I went to lunch. What do you think I ate? Just a little piece of bread, but I saw others devouring beans, onions and herrings filled with roe. Then we gave ourselves to the vintage, and sweated together and were joyous and so on, and as the author says ‘ we left some high bunches on the vines’. At the sixth hour we came home.

- I studied a little and badly. Then with my little mother sitting on the bed I chattered a lot… The gong rang, that is, it was announced that my father was going to the bath. Then we, bathed, ate in the oil pressing room – we didn’t bath in it, but had dinner having bathed, and happily heard the peasants jesting.

At the age of 23, the future emperor Marcus Aurelius visited the villa where his adoptive father Antoninus Pius was staying. In letters to his tutor, Fronto, he describes two days spent there at a festival inaugurating the vintage of Latium:

We set out to hunt, did great deeds; we did hear that boars had been captured but saw nothing ourselves. We did climb a steep enough hill; then in the afternoon we came home, I to my books. So taking off my boots and my clothes I read on my bed for two hours Cato ’s oration On the property of Pulchra and another in which he impeached a tribune. It is no good sending me books, for these have followed me here….

- We are well. I overslept a little, because of my slight cold, which seems to have calmed down. From five until nine I read Cato ’s Agricultura and wrote, less badly, thank god, than yesterday. Then I paid my respects to my father….Having cleaned my throat I went to my father and assisted him at sacrifice. Then I went to lunch. What do you think I ate? Just a little piece of bread, but I saw others devouring beans, onions and herrings filled with roe. Then we gave ourselves to the vintage, and sweated together and were joyous and so on, and as the author says ‘ we left some high bunches on the vines’. At the sixth hour we came home.

- I studied a little and badly. Then with my little mother sitting on the bed I chattered a lot… The gong rang, that is, it was announced that my father was going to the bath. Then we, bathed, ate in the oil pressing room – we didn’t bath in it, but had dinner having bathed, and happily heard the peasants jesting.