The Greeks and Romans have been charged with destroying the ecosystems within which they lived. In this book, however, M. D. Usher argues rather that we can find in their lives and thought the origin of modern ideas about systems and sustainability, important topics for humans today and in the future. With chapters running the gamut of Greek and Roman experience – from the Presocratics and Plato to Roman agronomy and the Benedictine Rule – Plato's Pigs brings together unlikely bedfellows, both ancient and modern, to reveal surprising connections. Lively prose and liberal use of anecdotal detail, including an afterword about the author's own experiments with sustainable living on his sheep farm in Vermont, add a strong authorial voice. In short, this is a unique, first-of-its-kind book that is sure to be of interest to anyone working in Classics, environmental studies, philosophy, ecology, or the history of ideas.
- Introduces readers interested in the environment, ecology, and sustainable living to the important contributions made to these topics by the ancient Greeks and Romans
- Engages seriously with modern science and ecology as well as the Classical sources
- Full of lively anecdotal detail based on personal experience
Read more
Reviews & endorsements
'… rich and ambitious … this is a work of remarkable erudition, displaying a mastery not only of a rich array of ancient philosophers, poets and politicians, but also of modern physics, philosophy, economics, agronomy and theology.' William Brockliss, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
'Not only is this book informative, educational, and persuasive, it is a genuine pleasure to read. Usher's congenialliterary style is engaging, so the book should appeal to a wide readership.' P. A. Streveler, Choice
See more reviews
Customer reviews

Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review

Log in to review

Review was not posted due to profanity
×

, create a review

(If you're not , sign out)

Please enter the right captcha value

Please enter a star rating.

Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

How do you rate this item?

Reviews must contain at least 12 words about the product.

×

Product details
- Date Published: October 2020
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9781108839587
- length: 282 pages
- dimensions: 235 x 157 x 19 mm
- weight: 0.52kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction. Environmental philology
1. Debts to nature
2. Anaximander for the anthropocene
3. Heraclitus and the quantum
4. A city for pigs
5. Mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon
6. Cynics and stoics
7. Roman revolutions
8. Community rule
Afterword. Works and days and then some.
Look Inside

General Resources

Resources

Find resources associated with this title

Back to resources home

Type	Name	Unlocked *	Format	Size

Showing of

This title is supported by one or more locked resources. Access to locked resources is granted exclusively by Cambridge University Press to lecturers whose faculty status has been verified. To gain access to locked resources, lecturers should sign in to or register for a Cambridge user account.

Please use locked resources responsibly and exercise your professional discretion when choosing how you share these materials with your students. Other lecturers may wish to use locked resources for assessment purposes and their usefulness is undermined when the source files (for example, solution manuals or test banks) are shared online or via social networks.

Supplementary resources are subject to copyright. Lecturers are permitted to view, print or download these resources for use in their teaching, but may not change them or use them for commercial gain.

If you are having problems accessing these resources please contact lecturers@cambridge.org.

Author
M. D. Usher, University of Vermont
M. D. Usher is Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a faculty member in the Environmental Program at the University of Vermont. He is the author of academic books and articles in the field of classics, including A Student's Seneca (2006), and has also written books for children, poems, and two opera libretti. With his wife he also built, owns, and operates Works and Days Farm in Shoreham, Vermont, where he has been engaged in farming for over twenty years.

Products and services

About us

Careers

Unlocking potential with the best learning and research solutions

Plato's Pigs and Other Ruminations
Ancient Guides to Living with Nature

£34.99

£ 34.99
Hardback

Other available formats:
eBook

Looking for an inspection copy?

Reviews & endorsements

Customer reviews

Not yet reviewed

Log in to review

Product details

Table of Contents

Look Inside

Resources for