12 The Forest of the Ancients. 



While through colonization, exploitation, fire and 

 other abuse, the useful forest area was decimated in 

 many parts, the location of the Mediterranean penin- 

 sular countries was such that wood supplies could be 

 readily secured by water from distant parts, and 

 the lignarii or wood .merchants of Italy drew their 

 supplies even from India by way of Alexandria; they 

 went for Ash to Asia Minor; for Cedar to Cilicia; 

 Paphlagonia, Liguria and Mauritania became the 

 great wood export countries. It is interesting to 

 note that a regular wood market existed in Rome, as 

 in Jerusalem, and at the former place firewood was 

 sold by the pound (75c per 200 lbs., in Cicero's time). 

 At the same time that the causes of devastation were 

 at work the forest area also increased in some parts, 

 recovering ground lost during wars and through the 

 neglect of farms by natural seeding; much less by 

 active effort, although planting of trees in parks, 

 vineyards and groves was early practiced to a limited 

 extent. 



2. Development of Property. 



As to development of forest property we have 

 also only fragmentary information. Nomads do 

 not know soil as property. When they become 

 settled farmers the plowland, the vineyard or olive 

 grove and orchard are recognized as private property, 

 but all the rest remains common property or no- 

 body's in particular; and even the private pro- 

 perty was not at first entirely exclusive. Hence for 

 a long time (and in some parts even to date) the ex- 

 clusive property right in forests is not fully established. 



