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Roman plow

Type Object Region Europe Time c. -200–500

The Roman plow (aratrum) was the core soil-turning tool of Mediterranean farming in the Roman Empire, with a wooden frame, iron share (vomer), and co…

Timeline

  1. c. 1–150Campania and Latium · ItalyLarge estates (latifundia) of the early Roman Empire widely used ox-drawn Roman plows to till wheat fields and vineyards; iron shares and coulters cut grass roots and turned clods, while fallowing and manuring maintained soil fertility.
  2. c. 100–300Gaul and Africa · GaulRoman plow technology spread with imperial conquests to Gaul and North Africa, where local farmers adopted Roman-style plows to break new land, supporting imperial grain supply and olive and grape cash crops.
  3. c. 300–500Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman countryside · MediterraneanDuring the decline of the Western Roman Empire in the 4th–5th centuries, the Roman plow remained the basic farm implement of the Mediterranean countryside; Byzantine and Germanic successor states continued Roman agricultural traditions with little change in plow form.

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