Saltus Beguensis Estate
About
Casae, the estate village at the heart of this senatorial saltus southwest of Sufes, won imperial permission for a fortnightly market under a senate decree of 138 CE preserved on stone. The estate belonged to senator Lucilius Africanus, and the market grant recognized a rural economy already well established. African saltus estates like this one were being surveyed and worked for elite absentee owners as far back as the 1st century BCE, meaning Casae was long since a working farm center by 117 CE.
What happened here
Land held in one ownership and worked as a unit, whether the owner is a senator, an emperor or a town. Day to day it is run by a manager who keeps the accounts, allots the tasks and answers for the shortfall. The workforce is mixed — slaves in gangs, tenant farmers on shares, and seasonal labour hired for the harvest and the vintage. Tenants owe a proportion of the crop and a fixed number of days' work, and the terms are posted publicly, which is how we know them. Buildings cluster: presses, granaries, a smithy, quarters, a shrine. Disputes over water and over how many days are owed go to the estate's own procurator first and to the emperor if that fails.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →