Farmers at Heart

With a vast empire and great cities stretching from Armenia and the Mediterranean lands of Italy, Greece, Israel and Palestine, and the North African coast around from Spain to Gaul and the British Isles at the climax of its grandeur, you've most likely never realized that this was hardly the Romans' idyllic image.  All the greatness of the Romans creates a common misconception that this bustle was their preferred way of life.  In reality, however, the truth is quite the opposite!

Before the Republic and vast empire that we know recognize as the Roman world, Romans were mundane farmers.  They believed that their discipline and hard work as farmers was the mentality that led to the majesty of their empire.  Romans fantasised about their rustic past as modern Christians dream about Eden.

The normal, wealthy Roman man would often own what they called a villae (today's "villa") run by a small army of slaves that they could escape to for a blissful retreat when the commotion of city life became too much.  In certain cases, the villas were actually more like villages (with the same "villae" root as "villa") and small towns.

There were three great textbook-writers on the country lifestyle.  They were Cato, Varro, and Columella.  If you've ever watched "The Pink Panther", perhaps you recognize the first as Clouseau's sidekick.

I recalled the scene during the twos' first encounter when Clouseau pries into Cato's heritage in the field of police work.  The seemingly exceptional past is impressive to everyone, but Clouseau, who promises to teach him everything he knows.  Maybe you remember the string of family members ended very anticlimatically with farmers.

Have you put two-and-two together yet?  It's a joke from the moviemakers on the name Cato, whose historical namesake wrote about farming, and whose modern character's ancestors were farmers.  That's kind of random, but filmakers will sometimes put a few history-related inside jokes in movies that I like to spot!  =)

Are you a farmer at heart?

Tags: Life, History, Movies, Food, Farming, Countryside