The woman's view in the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder, illustrated by exempla taken from the fine arts and from history, is based upon the aristotelian notion of woman's natural inferiority, masked by her ability to give birth. The author talks about uterus as symbol of fertility and makes an inventory of recipes, meant to help women procreate, from pregnancy to suckling, trusting in a providential nature. The priority given to maternity also justifies his personal interventions, blaming those Roman women who refuse their function and are taxed to seek a culture of the uoluptas
