Course description
This course is part of the growing field of ecocriticism (Green Studies) and ecopoetics, which links literature and the environment. It offers a reading of ancient Greek and Latin texts that form the basis of the history of environmental thought. Numerous Greek and Latin poetic, scientific and philosophical texts address the question of humanity's place in nature, the impact of human activity on the environment and its relationship with other forms of life.

These texts, placing humans between animals and gods, on the earth and neither underground, at sea or in heaven, denounce mankind's abuse of natural resources; mankind wants to dominate its natural environment rather than submit to it. However, the question here is probably not ecological awareness but rather moral and religious awareness. Nevertheless, tracing the history of the link between mankind and its environment resonates with the preoccupations of contemporary ecocriticism. This course therefore aims to stimulate critical thinking and rethink our relationship with nature. Various texts from different periods will be examined, focusing on themes such as:

• Vital principles (air, fire, water, earth: Hippocrates, Vitruvius)
• Climate and environment (Aristotle, Cicero, Vitruvius, Pliny)
• Mythological stories (the 4 ages, the flood, Atlantis: Plato, Virgil, Ovid)
• Countryside versus city (Hesiod, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Seneca, Pliny, Juvenal)
• Damage to nature (deforestation, over-exploitation of the soil and subsoil: Strabo, Lucretius, Livy, Seneca, Pliny)
• Property speculation (Horace, Seneca, Pliny, Tacitus)
• Agronomy (Xenophon, Cato, Varro, Columella)
• Air and water pollution (Lucretius, Vitruvius, Pliny)
• Excessive luxury and depletion of resources (Seneca, Pliny, Juvenal)
• Mother Nature (Homer, Lucretius, Cicero)

Given the Venetian context, particular attention will be paid to the issue of water (floods, foul water, marshes, wild watercourses, aqueducts: Vitruvius, Columella, Seneca, Fronto, Ausonius).

The first sessions will introduce the field of ecocriticism and ecopoetics. Subsequently, the themes listed above will be addressed using ancient texts accompanied by their translations. Students will be invited in turn to present one of the themes listed above, relating the ancient texts to current issues.

Learning outcomes

• Students will acquire a general knowledge of ancient culture and literature.
• Students will acquire a general knowledge of the fields of ecocriticism and ecopoetics, and familiarity with key authors and critical questions in the field.
• Students will develop critical tools to reflect on environmental problematics in contemporary society.

Teaching and Evaluation Methods
The classes will be a mixture of theory, interactive lectures and group discussions. Students will be invited to take an active part while discussing and developing their ideas and interpretations in collaboration with their classmates. This mixture of academic discussion and practical approaches is particularly effective when students have different education and training or have never studied Greek and Latin literature before. All ancient texts used for this course will be accompanied by translations.
After introductory courses on ecocriticism and ecopoetics, students will be invited to present their ideas on these ancient texts in relation to the contemporary environmental themes listed above.

Evaluation

• 40% Class participation.
• 30% Student presentation in front of their classmates.
• 30% Final essay.

Bibliography

Armstrong, R. 2019. Virgil's Green Thoughts: Plants, Humans, and the Divine, Oxford.

Campbell, B. 2012. Rivers and the Power of Ancient Rome, Chapel Hill, NC.

Egerton, F.N. 2012. Roots of Ecology: Antiquity to Haeckel, Berkeley.

Emmett, R. – Nye, D. 2017. The Environmental Humanities. A Critical Introduction, Cambridge.

Harper, K. 2019. The Fate of Rome Climate, Disease, and the End of Empire, Princeton.

Horden, P. – Purcell, N. 2000. The Corrupting Sea: A Study of Mediterranean History, Oxford.

Martelli, F. – Sissa, G. (ed.). 2023. Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Environmental Imagination, London – New York – Dublin.

Orejas, A. – Mattingly, D. – Clavel-Lévêque, M. (ed.). 2010. From Present to Past through Landscape, Madrid.

Sallares, L. 2002. Malaria and Rome. A History of Malaria in Ancient Italy, Oxford.

Schliephake, Ch. 2016. Ecocriticism, Ecology, and the Cultures of Antiquity, Lanham, Mayland.

Thommen, L. 2012. An Environmental History of Greece and Rome, Cambridge.

Course duration: 40 hours of tuition
Credits equivalence: 6 ECTS

Last updated: July 24, 2026