ABSTRACT
Thinkers in the Greco-Roman world of the late fourth century CE would have been puzzled by the attempts of modern Western cultures to separate issues of science from issues of religion. In the ancient world the two were inextricably bound, a link that was most noticeable in conceptions of leadership. One of the most notable areas of interest in the ancient world that we would classify as scientific was that of the natural world, that is, the entire Mediterranean and Western European ecosystems-their geography and the various flora and fauna therein. Greco-Roman thinkers had certain basic notions about the environment in which they lived. Among these views was the conception that the natural world and humanity were linked to the divine as emanations from a supreme creative force. A leader who was in harmony with the natural world was seen to be in harmony with the divine. Through appropriate observance of religious rituals, leaders in the ancient world could reap the bounty of the environment for the well-being of the community. Failure to propitiate the gods properly could bring the terrible retribution of nature, a sign of divine displeasure.
