Legal Definitions - latifundium

LATIFUNDIUM

Latifundium is a Latin word that means a large private estate. It was common in the late Republic period of Roman law.

One example of a latifundium was the estate of Julius Caesar, which covered more than 3,000 acres of land. Another example was the estate of Lucius Licinius Lucullus, which was so large that it had its own port and a villa with 30 rooms.

These examples illustrate how latifundia were massive private estates owned by wealthy individuals. They were often used for agriculture and were worked by slaves or tenant farmers. The owners of latifundia had a lot of power and influence in Roman society because of their wealth and control over land.