The scant epigraphic evidence seems also to support the use of cisterns of this type for irrigated horticulture. Such cisterns are most plausibly interpreted as being for irrigation: a study carried out on similar hydraulic features to the east of Rome (Thomas and Wilson, PBSR 1994), using software to estimate irrigation needs for different crops in various kinds of soils, suggested that the capacity of such cisterns was insufficient for irrigating significant areas of wheat or vines, but would have suited the irrigation needs of vegetable gardens or fruit orchards. A number of rural sites possess large cisterns (200-700 m3) far exceeding the water-supply needs of the farm or villa, and in many cases these are not associated with villa baths. Irrigation and drainage schemes demonstrate investment in land improvement for some form of agriculture, and one class of structures provides a clue as to the kinds of products grown. There is however a mass of data in the Tiber Valley survey archives and in published material (Forma Italiae etc.) which can be used to ground this analysis in the archaeology. However likely this is, until now it has remained largely an assumption, supported in part by literary sources which relate more to the south and east of Rome (Tibur etc.) than to the Tiber Valley to the north and by theoretical models. It seems clear that the proximity of Rome encouraged settlement here, and it is frequently assumed that farms and villas in this area were engaged in growing fruit and vegetables to serve the markets of Rome (Potter, Changing Landscape Morley, Metropolis and Hinterland). The South Etruria survey results indicated a much denser concentration of settlement in the southern part of the survey area, closer to Rome.
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