In this ambitious and erudite volume, Orietta Dora Cordovana offers a significant contribution to the rapidly expanding field of ancient environmental studies. The book’s central aim is to investigate the “environmental sensitivity” of Greek and Roman societies, arguing that while they lacked a modern “ecological” consciousness, they possessed a complex and nuanced understanding of their relationship with the natural world, which is recoverable through a careful reading of the textual record (p. 21). Cordovana situates her work within the contemporary discourse on the Anthropocene, asserting the vital role of ancient history in providing a deep, qualitative perspective that complements the quantitative data often dominating current environmental debates (p. 3).[1]
The book arrives at a moment of intense scholarly activity. Far from being a nascent field, as the author sometimes suggests (p. 29, 211), the study of ancient environments is a vibrant area of research, with flourishing sub-fields dedicated to climate history, ecocritical readings of ancient literature, and analyses of sustainability and resilience.[2] Cordovana’s work distinguishes itself by largely eschewing engagement with modern theoretical frameworks like ecocriticism or posthumanism, opting instead for a methodology rooted deeply in the philological and historical analysis of the ancient sources themselves. Her primary conceptual tools are the “historical ecosystem”—a framework for analyzing the entanglement of natural processes with socio-economic and cultural factors (pp. 13–21)—and a carefully delineated “environmental sensitivity” (pp. 28–29), which she examines on three distinct levels: the pragmatic, often unconscious, practices of ordinary people; the administrative and legal actions of political authorities; and the reflective, critical thought of intellectuals and philosophers. While this source-driven approach is a great strength, it occasionally feels detached from the wider theoretical conversations happening within the environmental humanities, a space where this important book rightfully belongs.
The study is structured into three main chapters, each tackling a core theme of environmental thought. The first, “Environmental Depletion,” masterfully traces the evolution of attitudes towards resource use from the Greek polis to the Roman Empire. Cordovana convincingly argues for a shift from a Greek focus on kallos and kosmos—where environmental regulations, such as those in the Thasos inscription, were driven by a concern for urban decorum and ritual purity—to a distinctly Roman synthesis of decus (civic dignity) and publica salubritas (public health). This chapter’s strength lies in its integration of legal, literary, and archaeological evidence. The analysis of the Roman condemnation of luxus (luxury) is particularly insightful. Moving beyond a simple moralistic reading, Cordovana frames the anti-luxury discourse, exemplified by Cato the Censor, as a pragmatic political strategy tied to the mos maiorum and metus hostilis, aimed at ensuring the long-term social stability and resource security of the res publica. Her connection of philosophical critiques from Seneca and Pliny to the tangible environmental degradation caused by “unscrupulous building” and quarrying, supported by archaeological evidence, is a powerful demonstration of how elite discourse grappled with anthropogenic landscape transformation.
The second chapter, “Economy and Environment,” productively revisits the much-debated topic of ancient deforestation. Cordovana effectively dismantles older, maximalist views by incorporating insights from paleo-environmental studies and the New Institutional Economy, showing that deforestation was often a localized phenomenon and that state institutions played a significant role in managing forest resources. The chapter’s core contribution is its detailed exploration of ancient “sustainable” practices, particularly the sophisticated knowledge of coppicing (silva caedua) evident in the works of Cato and Pliny. This demonstrates a deeply practical, long-term approach to resource management. The chapter culminates in two case studies. First, the analysis of the Hadrianic forest inscriptions in Lebanon provides incontrovertible evidence of imperial-level, selective resource protection, where valuable timber species were reserved for the state. Second, the “story of balsam” is an insightful exposition of a “historical ecosystem,” weaving together the plant’s immense religious significance in Jewish culture with the economic and political realities of Roman monopoly and the subsequent “economic war” that led to the plant’s near-destruction.
The third chapter, “Ancient Knowledge and ‘Biodiversity’,” is perhaps the book’s most innovative. Here, Cordovana applies the modern concept of biodiversity as a heuristic tool to explore how ancient authors perceived and categorized the variety of life. A masterful lexical analysis of Pliny’s Naturalis Historia reveals a sophisticated, implicit ecological taxonomy, where terms like natio, situs, and tractus correspond to the modern concepts of ecosystem, habitat, and climatic zone, respectively. Using the recurring example of “mad honey,” she connects the observations of Xenophon, Strabo, Theophrastus, and Dioscorides, showing a progressive deepening of knowledge about the causal links between specific plants, their habitats, and their biochemical properties. The work of Dioscorides, in particular, is presented as a testament to the practical, life-saving value of biodiversity, which provided the raw materials for ancient pharmacology. The chapter powerfully argues that these ancient texts are not mere catalogues but rich archives of ecological observation that recognized the profound interdependence of organisms and their environments.
In her conclusion, Cordovana thoughtfully synthesizes these threads. She reasserts the need for a historically grounded, qualitative approach to the Anthropocene and reaffirms that the ancient world, while lacking our modern terminology, clearly practiced forms of “sustainability” and valued “biodiversity” out of pragmatism, cultural necessity, and philosophical insight.
Overall, this is one of the most important studies on ancient environmental history to appear in recent years. Cordovana’s command of the sources is exceptional, and her ability to weave together diverse textual evidence into a compelling narrative is remarkable. The book’s great strength lies in taking ancient environmental thought seriously on its own terms, moving beyond simplistic narratives of either ecological harmony or relentless destruction.
This is not to say the work is without limitations. As noted, the engagement with the broader theoretical discussions within the environmental humanities could be deepened, and the material evidence, while present, is clearly subordinate to the textual analysis, leaving avenues for future archaeological research. Furthermore, the central concept of “environmental sensitivity,” while useful, can occasionally feel too broad; a deeper analysis of how this sensitivity was shaped by material pressures like drought, famine, or disaster, or by social structures like slavery, would have enriched the argument. Finally, the distinction between the three “levels” of consciousness is a useful heuristic, but the focus remains overwhelmingly on the third level—the literate elite—leaving the “common sense” of the wider population underexplored.
These are, however, minor critiques of an important scholarly achievement. Environmental Thought in the Graeco-Roman World is a deeply learned, insightful, and thought-provoking book. It successfully demonstrates that classical texts are, as Cordovana suggests, an “invaluable resource” (p. 212) for understanding the deep historical roots of the human relationship with the environment. It deserves a wide readership among classicists, ancient historians, and scholars in the environmental humanities, to whom it offers a rich and nuanced perspective on the enduring dialogue between culture and nature.
Notes
[1] For a similar approach see Ch. Schliephake, The Environmental Humanities and the Ancient World: Questions and Perspectives (Cambridge Elements). Cambridge University Press, 2020.
[2] Cf. for current discussions of the state of research R. Post, “Environment, sustainability, and Hellenic studies.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies 2022, 142: 317–333. doi: 10.1017/S0075426922000143. See also Ch. Schliephake, “Antike Umweltgeschichte”. hsozkult 16 June, 2025. https://www.hsozkult.de/literaturereview/id/fdl-136875?title=antike-umweltgeschichte&recno=1&q=&sort=&fq=&total=35.