Villa Estates and Malaria Risk in Roman Central Italy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4537702 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Pickel (0000-0003-3263-1571, Georgetown University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 128 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 243-277 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9114 • E-ISSN: 1939-828X |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/728882 |
| OpenAlex | W4392702060 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 72 |
Malaria has persisted in Italy since the Roman Imperial period, perhaps since as early as the second century BCE. Yet little is known regarding Romans’ everyday interactions with this historically oppressive mosquito-borne disease, knowledge of which is crucial for understanding the broader significance of malaria in Roman history. This is in part due to the limitations of current approaches for studying ancient malaria, which focus primarily on diagnosing specific incidences of infection. Drawing on landscape epidemiology and contemporary malariology, this article shifts focus toward a more holistic understanding of the multifaceted determinants of malaria and its transmission in antiquity, with particular emphasis on Roman villa estates in central Italy. It is argued that, despite the presence of malaria and the naturally high risk of transmission throughout much of the region, villa estates very likely reduced local risk of malaria transmission by utilizing a suite of agricultural practices that reduced local mosquito densities and separated susceptible hosts and malaria’s mosquito vectors. In addition to improving our understanding of the specific entanglement between Roman villa estate agriculture and malaria in central Italy, this article demonstrates the benefit of an interdisciplinary approach and the interpretive utility of archaeological evidence for ancient disease studies more broadly.1
Ancient history · Archaeology · Geography · Malaria · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Immunology · Medicine
Classical Archaeology
Malaria and Rome
Metropolis and Hinterland
Roman Villas in Central Italy
Two Oxen Ahead
Alluvial Geoarchaeology
The ecology of climate change and infectious diseases
The Ancient Mediterranean Environment between Science and History
Greek Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen
Libitina's Bitter Gains
Cribra orbitalia in the ancient Nile Valley and its connection to malaria
Gardens and Neighbors
The Roman Villa in the Mediterranean Basin
The Grain Market in the Roman Empire
Anthropogenic Land Use Change and Infectious Diseases
European summer temperatures since Roman times
Role of environmental changes in the spread of malaria in Europe during the Holocene
All Roads Lead to Risk
Malaria and malaria‐like disease in the early Middle Ages
Slavery, Agriculture, and Malaria in the Arabian Peninsula
Roman Aqueducts and Water Supply
The Changing Landscapes of Rome’s Northern Hinterland
Capital, Investment, and Innovation in the Roman World
La table des Ligures Baebiani et l'institution alimentaire de Trajan
Ownership and Exploitation of Land and Natural Resources in the Roman World
A paleoepidemiological approach to the osteological paradox
The skeletal manifestation of malaria
Morbidity in the marshes
Cribra orbitalia
Demographic and socioeconomic effects of disease control
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |