My dissertation further challenges the notion that a sharp divide existed between town and country and argues that ancient cities were more than parasitic entities devouring goods from suburban and rural areas. By incorporating an integrative approach and utilizing modern comparative data it highlights an often-overlooked aspect of rural and urban interaction: agricultural production in densely populated areas, and asserts that ancient urban agriculture was vital to the city’s food supply and had far-reaching effects on the Roman economy and society. Urban agriculture was not just an elite pastime which occurred on sumptuous villas, nor were villa gardens strictly ornamental. Inhabitants, rich and poor, produced their own food, even in areas not usually considered conducive to agriculture. The implications of urban food production in ancient Rome are momentous, but related scholarship has largely ignored production in urban areas and its role in shaping the empire’s institutions.