Ancient Ecology. Problems of Terminology

[Autom. eng. transl.] The term ʻecologyʼ, as we know, is modern, although it is constructed with the Greek words oikos and logos; the ancients have somehow posed the problem of the reciprocal relationship between man and the environment, but they have not elaborated a clear notion of ʻecology' nor have they used specific terminology in this area. The intervention intends to contribute to identifying some element of ancient terminology of ʻecologicalʼ interest, starting from the pseudoippocrateo treatise On the airs the waters and places; in particular, it intends to investigate the concepts of balance and disproportion, stability and change in the definition of the ideal environment. The intervention of man on the environment, although considered substantially legitimate, when it goes to disturb the environmental balance (for example, with the diaphthora of water or air) raises concerns that can be defined latently ʻecologicalʼ.