The place
The set of numerous Roman-era rural villas scattered across the territory of the ancient colony of Circeii, distinguished from the great residential coastal villas (such as the Villa of Domitian) by their function, more closely tied to agricultural production. Their systematic survey is owed largely to the British archaeologist Thomas Ashby, who in the early 20th century was the first to document the remains scattered over the promontory on a scientific basis, work continued by scholars such as Giuseppe Lugli and, more recently, by university research specifically dedicated to the rural villas of the colony.