Varro

Marcus Terrentius Varro (116-27 BCE) was a Roman General, Politician, Scholar and Farmer.
Varro is famous for his three books on Roman Agriculture, Rerum Rusticaria Libri III, and was respected by Quintilian and Plutarch as being an erudite scholar.

Varro is thought to have been an Equestrian and he owned a farm near Riete (Reato).
He was Tribune of the Plebs under Pompey and supported Pompey against Julius Caesar.
In 49 BCE, during the Great Roman Civil War, he was a General during the Battle of Llerda in Spain.
He was pardoned by Julius Caesar in 47 BCE, however, after his death, Mark Anthony subjected Varro to Proscription, and he lost his farm and other property.
Then, under Augustus, he was favoured again, and became a scholar, writing 74 Works.

Of the 74 Works Varro wrote, only two have survived:
1. Rerum Rusticarum libri III
  - ‘Of Agricultural subjects in three books’. This whole Work is included as a Tract in the Work by Cato the Elder – ‘De Agri Cultura’.
2. ‘De Lingua Latina Libri XXV
  - ‘On the Latin Language in twenty five books’ (only 6 have survived).

Of his other Works that did not survive, they had a strong influence on other Roman authors. Pliny the Elder included some of his Works in his Encyclopedia, Natural History.