Late Antique Villae. Typology, Functions, and status quaestionis

In the historical debate on the political, social, and cultural transformations of Late Antiquity, the villa represents a complex issue. Its residential characteristics complement productive functions as part of a long tradition. The historiographical and archaeological research of the last century, and in particular of the last twenty-five years, has identified new types of plans and architectural and decorative elements that allow us to distinguish a late antique building from an earlier one. It is more difficult to explain the historical, political, and social reasons for these changes, taking into account that many meanings, derived from both written and archaeological sources, have been offered for the term ‘villa’. This paper intends to present an overview of the principal studies conducted on villae in Late Antiquity, with particular reference to research over the last twenty years and focusing on buildings with evidence of residences related to high social classes often cited in the literature as ‘residential villae’.