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On Agriculture, Volume III: Books 10–12. On Trees
Columella (Lucius Iunius Moderatus) of Gades (Cadiz) lived in the reigns of the first emperors to about 70 CE. He moved early in life to Italy where he owned farms and lived near Rome. It is probable that he did military service in Syria and Cilicia and that he died at Tarentum.
Columella's "On Agriculture" ("De Re Rustica") is the most comprehensive, systematic and detailed of Roman agricultural works. Book I covers choice of farming site; water supply; buildings; staff. II: Ploughing; fertilising; care of crops. III, IV, V: Cultivation, grafting and pruning of fruit trees, vines, and olives. VI: Acquisition, breeding, and rearing of oxen, horses, and mules; veterinary medicine. VII: Sheep, goats, pigs, and dogs. VIII: Poultry; fish ponds. IX: Bee-keeping. X (in hexameter poetry): Gardening. XI: Duties of the overseer of a farm; calendar for farm work; more on gardening. XII: Duties of the overseer's wife; manufacture of wines; pickling; preserving. There is also a separate treatise, "Trees" ("De Arboribus"), on vines and olives and various trees, perhaps part of an otherwise lost work written before "On Agriculture."
The Loeb Classical Library edition of Columella is in three volumes.
Columella's "On Agriculture" ("De Re Rustica") is the most comprehensive, systematic and detailed of Roman agricultural works. Book I covers choice of farming site; water supply; buildings; staff. II: Ploughing; fertilising; care of crops. III, IV, V: Cultivation, grafting and pruning of fruit trees, vines, and olives. VI: Acquisition, breeding, and rearing of oxen, horses, and mules; veterinary medicine. VII: Sheep, goats, pigs, and dogs. VIII: Poultry; fish ponds. IX: Bee-keeping. X (in hexameter poetry): Gardening. XI: Duties of the overseer of a farm; calendar for farm work; more on gardening. XII: Duties of the overseer's wife; manufacture of wines; pickling; preserving. There is also a separate treatise, "Trees" ("De Arboribus"), on vines and olives and various trees, perhaps part of an otherwise lost work written before "On Agriculture."
The Loeb Classical Library edition of Columella is in three volumes.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
About the author
Columella
33 books4 followersLucius Junius Moderatus Columella
AD 4-circa 70
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columella
AD 4-circa 70
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columella
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 19, 2024
In the final volume of Columella's works, he tries to write a sequel to Virgil's 'Georgics' and writes in verse for one very uncomfortable chapter, then talks about winemaking for ages, then pretends he's going to talk about trees but actually just talks about grapevines again. I think he would be a fun person to be friends with but I am not sorry to have finished reading these.
September 13, 2012
Great practical knowledge of all things agricultural from 2000 years ago ... and still so valid today. Highly recommended...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews