Pliny quote: latifundia perdidere italiam

[Jauchart]

"latifundia perdidere italiam"--the latifundia destroyed Italy

 

I can find this quote in the Latin edition of Natural History: Liber XVIII.11

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?d...%3A1999.02.0138

But not in the English edition:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?d...%3A1999.02.0137

Does anyone know where the English version of this appears?

 

Thanks

[Nephele]

The chapters in Bostock's translation don't align with the Latin chapters. Try Chapter 7 for your translation:

 

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?d...8%3Achapter%3D7

 

"...and indeed, if we must confess the truth, it is the wide-spread domains [latifundia] that have been the ruin of Italy, and soon will be that of the provinces as well."

 

-- Nephele

[Ludovicus]

What an interesting comment on the part of Pliny!

[Nephele]

What an interesting comment on the part of Pliny!

 

Pliny was convinced (perhaps rightly so) that Roman character was suffering due to slaves doing all the hard agricultural work that the Romans themselves used to do in the time of the Republic. Rome would never see another Cincinnatus.

 

-- Nephele

[Jauchart]

It's not in XVIII chapter 7; any other clues?

[Jauchart]

Found it...

[Ludovicus]

What an interesting comment on the part of Pliny!

 

Pliny was convinced (perhaps rightly so) that Roman character was suffering due to slaves doing all the hard agricultural work that the Romans themselves used to do in the time of the Republic. Rome would never see another Cincinnatus.

 

-- Nephele

 

Yes, and with the small famer unable to compete with the latifundia the city of Rome began to fill

with the landless unemployed.

[Ingsoc]

What an interesting comment on the part of Pliny!

 

Pliny was convinced (perhaps rightly so) that Roman character was suffering due to slaves doing all the hard agricultural work that the Romans themselves used to do in the time of the Republic. Rome would never see another Cincinnatus.

 

-- Nephele

 

It's seem to be a wide spread notion even in the time of the republic, for example it's motivated the Gracchi and their supporters to propose lands reform.

[Jauchart]

The fate of the republic, and then of the empire, is a good example of what happens when economic policy is oriented to serve the interests of the rich--it led to the destruction both of the republic and eventually of the empire as well. Not that our current rulers (or economists) will learn anything from this, but the rest of us can.