Details
The corpus of Latin literary works, both poetry and prose, includes a good many analytical studies, instruction manuals, `how to' guides and flowery descriptions of gardening and, linked to this, farming, beekeeping, viniculture and so on. Here John Henderson presents extracts from four major writers - Virgil, Columella, Pliny and Palladius - representing different approaches to Roman gardening. The introduction provides a background discussion to this genre of writing in verse and prose, from Palladius' gutsy DIY approach to handling soil, seeds, plants and pests, to Virgil's eloquent reflections on humanity brought out through the toil of farming and man's command over nature, and Columella's manuals detailing the tasks and skills of the farmer. The extracts are newly translated and an index of plants is given in English and Latin at the end.