This book investigates the fundamental question of whether ancient natural history can be classified as science or if it served entirely different intellectual and cultural purposes. Roger French, a scholar in the history of science, examines the works of seminal figures such as Aristotle, Theophrastus, Strabo, and Pliny to challenge modern assumptions about ancient inquiry. By analyzing how these authors utilized natural-historical data, French argues that their primary motivations were rarely scientific in the modern sense, suggesting that the concept of science as a distinct discipline did not exist in the ancient world.

Scholars and students of the history of ideas frequently cite this work for its provocative stance on the nature of ancient inquiry. The text is recognized as a significant contribution to the historiography of science, challenging readers to reconsider the development of scientific thought.