Among the most remarkable achievements of the Romans were the extent and duration of their influence. An example is seen in the Roman villa at Chedworth, in the Cotswalds, England, first excavated in 1864. A community unto itself, the villa enjoyed good transportation to other villas through the Romans' system of well-engineered roads.
The illustrations of "Images in Society" in this chapter show a Roman villa in the provinces. Here, the owner could live a comfortable country life while remaining connected to civilization. The villa housed not only him and his family, but also his slaves and servants. He, his friends and family could enjoy pleasant accommodations, including fine baths.
Even after the decline of Roman influence, the villa - like so many other Roman contributions to western culture - remained as an important institution. Some historians find in the villa the predecessor to the manors of the middle ages.
- Some of the best photographs of Chedworth on the web, with views of
mosaics and an explanation of the villa's Nymphaeum, or water shrine, is
found at
http://users.chariot.net.au/~sahill/travel/england/chedwth/chedwth.htm
- Though excavations began in the 19th century, modern archaeologists continue to find more Roman ruins at Chedwick. For excavation, begun in 2000, of the so-called "garden court," including photos and maps, see
http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/A-C/ap/research/chedworth/chedworth.html
- Chedworth is sometimes the scene of enthusiastic gladiatorial reenactments. For some photos from a recent event run by the organization Ludus Gladiatoria (Gladiator Game), see
http://www.ludus.org.uk/e/chedworthe.html
- The following site shows an example of Roman engineering - the underfloor heating system excavated at Chedworth:
http://www.completely-cotswold.com/chedwrth/info/villa/info.htm
