Villas were large agricultural estates

Our food comes from far and wide. In the past, it was very different. The first farmers provided for their own food and, later, for that of their immediate surroundings. In this way they became an important ally for the townspeople. When the Romans arrived in South Limburg, this was an excellent opportunity for farmers with a commercial spirit. The Roman army was large and had no time to produce its own food. Local farmers supplied grain, pigs and cattle to the army camps. In return, they received glass bottles, bronze tableware, cloak pins and red glazed pottery. In this way Roman luxury entered the farm households.

Because the demand for agricultural products was so great, villae arose: large farms. In the municipality of Simpelveld, Villa Vlengendaal, Villa de Molt and Villa Dellender are the best known. In the villa complexes one found stables for the cattle and barns for the storage of grain and tools. Ponds and vegetable gardens were also part of the complex. Sometimes there was even a separate bathhouse. In the fields near the villas grew familiar and new crops: from barley, bread wheat and pulses to spelt, beet and coriander. The Romans also planted fruit trees that did not originally grow here: apples, pears, cherries, walnuts and the sweet chestnut.