Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Greece
- Part II Rome
- Chapter 11 The geographic space
- Chapter 12 People and nature
- Chapter 13 Agriculture
- Chapter 14 Forests and timber
- Chapter 15 Gardens
- Chapter 16 Animals
- Chapter 17 Food
- Chapter 18 Fire and water
- Chapter 19 Earthquakes and volcanoes
- Chapter 20 Mining
- Chapter 21 Urban problems and rural villa construction
- Chapter 22 The environment in Roman Britain
- Conclusion
- Chronology
- Further reading
- Sources
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 14 - Forests and timber
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Greece
- Part II Rome
- Chapter 11 The geographic space
- Chapter 12 People and nature
- Chapter 13 Agriculture
- Chapter 14 Forests and timber
- Chapter 15 Gardens
- Chapter 16 Animals
- Chapter 17 Food
- Chapter 18 Fire and water
- Chapter 19 Earthquakes and volcanoes
- Chapter 20 Mining
- Chapter 21 Urban problems and rural villa construction
- Chapter 22 The environment in Roman Britain
- Conclusion
- Chronology
- Further reading
- Sources
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The relationship of the Romans to the forest reflected their basic view of nature. On the one hand, the forest was a dark and dismal place, the haunt of wild animals and the questionable gods who held sway there (Plin. nat. 12.3; Sen. epist. 4.41.3). Silvanus, Pan/Faunus and the fauns reduced people to terror with their weird voices. The Romans often used adjectives such as ferus (wild), foedus (horrible), horridus, obscurus or occultus to describe the forests. The historian Tacitus (c. ad 55–120) described Germany as a country of terrible forests and dismal swamps (Germ. 5.1). The forests were seen as the primeval starting point of human life (Vitr. 2.1.1), and as the habitat of barbarians who were at a low stage of civilisation (Lucr. 5.948ff.). The forests were moreover a strategic challenge, particularly in Gaul, Germany and Britain, since the enemy there could withdraw into them and lay ambushes, as was done in the battle of Teutoburg Forest in ad 9. Hence, military advances into these areas necessarily involved the massive felling of trees (Caes. Gall. 3.28–9; Lucan. 3.394ff.).
On the other hand, the forest was a piece of nature's beauty (locus amoenus), a pleasant place to linger under shady trees. This could involve the public forest (silva), a protected grove (lucus) or, in particular, a private piece of woodland belonging to an estate (nemus). Here the forest might serve for relaxation and conversation during the hunt (Hor. epist. 1.4.4–5; Plin. epist. 1.6.2, 2.8.1, 5.6.7–8).
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- Information
- An Environmental History of Ancient Greece and Rome , pp. 85 - 89Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012