Roman arboriculture and the empress Livia

What is it about?

The article discusses a passage in book 15 of Pliny's Natural History which lists Livia among the creators of new fruit cultivars. It argues that Livia's unique position within and outside her family explains why she appears to be the only woman remembered for her direct involvement in arboriculture. The article then discusses grafting, which in ancient Rome was charged with many symbolic meanings, and contextualises the appearance of Livia in horticultural discourse within the ideology of the Augustan era and the increased interest in horticultural matters at that time.

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