Roman Climate Awareness in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History

IF 0.9 2区 历史学 0 CLASSICS CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY Pub Date : 2021-10-01 DOI:10.1525/ca.2021.40.2.249
Jane Millar
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引用次数: 2

Abstract

This article examines the past and potential contributions of Pliny the Elder’s Natural History (NH) on the subject of Roman perceptions and experiences of environmental change. It asks in particular how classicists, archaeologists, and environmental historians can responsibly use the NH as a source on ancient climate. First, it briefly reviews relevant topics in the paleoclimatology of the Roman world, a rapidly advancing discipline enabling the identification of ancient climate changes with increasing precision and confidence (I). The article then turns to the reliability of Pliny as an authority on ancient climate by examining his accuracy, objectivity, and use of source material in literary and historical context, including his rhetorical goals, which have gone understudied until quite recently (II). A close reading of passages on environmental and climate change follows, highlighting areas in which Pliny’s observations are at odds with his source material. The examples discussed demonstrate the importance of phenology (III) and meteorology (IV) in Pliny’s encyclopedic account of the natural world, one characterized by anthropocentrism, pragmatism, and an emphasis on local knowledge. The evidence for ancient climate change is plentiful but not conclusive on the details and timing, and further studies will continue to refine local records. Rather than presenting a synthetic reconstruction based on Pliny’s observations, I argue that his encyclopedia offers an untapped resource on ancient climate and weather, not only by providing evidence of climate change, but also by recommending increased attention to seasonality, agricultural communities, and the lived experience of agricultural labor in order to better understand the effects of climate change on ancient populations.
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老普林尼自然史中的罗马气候意识
本文考察了老普林尼的《自然史》(NH)在罗马人对环境变化的看法和经历方面的过去和潜在贡献。它特别询问古典主义者、考古学家和环境历史学家如何负责任地利用NH作为古代气候的来源。首先,它简要回顾了罗马世界古气候学的相关主题,这是一门快速发展的学科,能够越来越精确和自信地识别古代气候变化(I)。然后,文章通过考察普林尼在文学和历史背景下对原始材料的准确性、客观性和使用,包括他的修辞目标,来探讨他作为古代气候权威的可靠性,直到最近,这些目标还没有得到充分的研究(II)。以下是关于环境和气候变化的文章,重点介绍了普林尼的观察结果与原始材料不一致的地方。所讨论的例子表明了在普林尼对自然世界的百科全书式描述中,酚学(III)和气象学(IV)的重要性,其特点是人类中心主义、实用主义和对当地知识的重视。古代气候变化的证据很多,但在细节和时间上还没有定论,进一步的研究将继续完善当地的记录。我认为,他的百科全书不仅提供了气候变化的证据,而且建议人们更多地关注季节性、农业社区、,以及农业劳动力的生活经历,以便更好地了解气候变化对古代人口的影响。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
1.10
自引率
20.00%
发文量
6
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