Tacitus' Use of Columella's 'De re rustica'
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29173/histos672Keywords:
Tacitus, Columella, historiography, intertextuality, agriculture, nature, metaphorAbstract
This article argues that Tacitus used Columella’s De re rustica as a source text across
his oeuvre. Probable allusions to De re rustica appear in each of Tacitus’ five texts, including
in important digressions and methodological chapters in Annals. Setting out these allusions
and drawing out their narrative significance, the article draws attention to a hitherto
unrecognised source of influence on the Roman historian. It further proposes directions for
future scholarly analysis of Tacitus’ engagement with technical texts and of how such texts
participate in wider conversations about politics, power, and nature.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Bram ten Berge
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