The monograph explores the process of the emergence and development of large-scale land ownership during the three centuries of the most brilliant period of Roman history (II AD). before and . e. - I'm in . n. e. ), separate stages of this process are allocated. Unlike the conventional point of view identifying large landholdings in Rome from the end of the III century. before and . e. with the development of huge estates - latifundium, the author puts forward his concept. In his opinion, the large Roman landownership underwent a complex evolution: in the first stage (II-I centuries.) before n. fe. ) land concentration took the form of mobilization in one hand of many small estates scattered in different areas, and only with I in. n. e. large landownership is a collection of a few, but huge in the territory of the possessions - latifundium. This point of view allows us to make significant clarifications in the understanding of the nature of the slave-owning mode of production in Rome, since the main production cell in agriculture in Italy is the II-I centuries .. before n. e. recognized as a commercial, small-sized villa, not a huge latifundia.