Livia the Auctor and the Symbolism of Grafting

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 particular use of horticultural discourse on Livia against ideology of the Augustan era and the increased interest into horticultural matters that occurred in that perio