Out-of-town shopping malls 'were pioneered by rich Romans'

[Alkman]

Out-of-town shopping malls 'were pioneered by rich Romans'


The luxury housing estate and out-of-town shopping centre may need to be added to the long list of what the Romans did for Britain.

Work in Bath suggests that rich Romans were so keen to live close to city centre attractions that they abandoned the empire's traditional habit of building lavish villas in the countryside, well away from the neighbours and commerce within the city walls.

Excavations in Bath reveal that at least half a dozen elegant homes existed near each other and within easy reach of leisure areas. One villa was found while sprinkler pipes were being laid across a golf course. A second villa with mosaic floors was found a few hundred feet away.

David Musgrove, the editor of the BBC's History magazine, which reports the discovery in its January issue, said: "Bath was as much of a property hot spot then as it is now. The evidence suggests that Romano-Britons developed luxury, des res housing on the edge of the centre."

Bath had many attractions for well-to-do Romans. It had three hot springs, each with a complex of bathing pools, places of worship and, perhaps, a huge theatre.

Research over the past 15 years has found repeated proof that commerce was exiled to a ribbon development outside the city.

"The walled city was a place dedicated solely to the finer aspects of life," says David Keys, the author of the report.



Richard Savill


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[Ederico]

Very interesting.