The book is presented as advice to a certain Publius Silvinus.
Structure of De Re Rustica ("Agriculture"):
- soils
- viticulture
- fruits
- olive trees
- 6: big animals: cattle, horses and mules
- 7: small animals: asses, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs
- 8: fish and fowl: chickens, doves, thrushes, peacocks, Numidian chicken and guinea fowl, geese, ducks, fish ponds
- 9: wild animals: enclosures for wild animals, bee-keeping, production of honey and wax
- 10: gardens
- personnel management
- calendars
- household management
Interspersed throughout De Re Rustica are various recipes involving the produce under discussion, for example 'Turnips with Mustard' and 'Celery with Raisin Sauce'. Some of these are collected in the book Roman Cookery. Book 10 is written entirely in dactylic hexameter verse, in imitation of, or homage to, Virgil. It may initially have been intended to be the concluding volume, books 11 and 12 being perhaps an addition to the original scheme.
A complete but anonymous translation into English was published by Millar in 1745. Excerpts had previously been translated by Bradley.
Read more about this topic: Columella