Compascuus is
Latin for commonly grazed,
and hence often used in the forms
ager compascuus (common
pasture land)
and
compascuum (the common pasture). In the early
Roman Republic, there were three kinds of land: private, public and common pasture. The lex agraria of 111 BC, which formalized the existing situation after the land reforms, set limits on how many cattle an individual could graze on
ager compascuus without having to pay dues.
Placenames
This ancient term is still preserved in some placenames in
Drenthe, because the border between the Netherlands and Germany in the
Bourtange moor was not delimited and was a common pasture for shepherds from both sides of the border.
