Pliny s is an organic work, as shakespeares crowded plays or montaignes essays are organic. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the. Publication date 1938 topics natural history publisher london. The natural history by pliny the elder free at loyal books. While serving in this position he also found time to write his famous natural history which was published in 77. The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. He is best known for his work plinys natural history which was in. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived.
A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. University of california press, 1999, quoting pliny the elder in his natural history. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. Page 431 the name which these stones bear, originates, it is said, in the peculiar tint of their brilliancy, which, after closely approaching the colour of wine, passes off into a violet without being fully pronounced. Pliny wrote in latin, using mostly greek sources and his own observations and vivid imagination. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Pliny the elder naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c.
He spent most of his time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field. Pliny the elder s natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. Pliny the elder was made admiral of the western roman navy. Book 11, insects, their physiology and habits especially bees, silkworms, spiders. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. The nature of the earth what diseases are attended with the greatest pain gaius plinius secundus, known as pliny the elder to differentiate him from his nephew pliny the younger 621 q. Plinys natural history has too often been regarded as simply a quarry for quaint storiesa view which has tended to overshadow its overall structure and purpose. Gaius plinius secundus, better known as pliny the elder, was an author, naturalist, and natural philosopher as well as a naval and army commander of the early roman empire.
The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire. Pliny was an energetic man, hugely desirous of literary immortality, who wrote his books in the interstices of a full career as a soldier and an administrator. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on the world around them. Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the natural history of pliny. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge. Pliny the elder, roman savant and author of the celebrated natural history, an encyclopedic work of uneven accuracy that was an authority on scientific matters up to the middle ages.
He manages to do this without saying things like saturn is the best planet right. Elder plinys prefatory letter to the main body of the natural history is deeply. Plinys wideranging natural history, written in the 70s ce. Naturalis historia is a book about the whole of the natural world in latin by pliny the elder, a roman author and naval commander who died in 79 ad. In the year 79, still admiral of the western fleet, pliny noticed a cloud over the city of pompeii. He is most known for his only extant work, a 37volume natural history that served as the basis for scientific knowledge for centuries. This extraordinary work was originally composed and.
Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of. Internet archive bookreader pliny s natural history. Librivox recording of the natural history, volume 3, by pliny the elder. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history attalus. Dec 09, 2015 but over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. Wheeler alwyne cooper, the life and work of peter artedi, in wheeler alwyne cooper ed. Pliny the elder biography facts, childhood, family life. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h. Nov 09, 2017 of course, pliny referred to the first book and others in writing his natural history, but it ended up as a sort of dummys guide to natural history, trying to compose a really wide subject matter into a few books over 2 years, and obviously getting a lot wrong in the process. May 15, 2015 the nature of the earth what diseases are attended with the greatest pain gaius plinius secundus, known as pliny the elder to differentiate him from his nephew pliny the younger 621 q. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the elder. Apr 16, 2014 pliny the elder on the silk road we have come now to seejourneys made to seres china to obtain cloth, the abysses of the red sea explored for pearls, and the depths of the earth scoured for emeralds.
Pliny the elder on the silk road the silk road research. Most gracious highness let this title, a supremely true one, be yours, while that of most eminent grows to old age with your sirei have resolved to recount b to you, in a somewhat presumptuous letter, the offspring of my latest travail, my volumes of natural history a novel task for the native. Starting with the index in pliny chapter 2 the roman paratext. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Plinys natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. Unusually, the entire remarkable work it contains over a million words has survived intact it is one of the most substantial ancient works available to modern readers. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia.
She is mentioned in pliny the elders natural history as an example of. Pliny s natural history has too often been regarded as simply a quarry for quaint storiesa view which has tended to overshadow its overall structure and purpose. Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century ad, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first waterclock, or the use of asses milk to remove wrinkles. Pliny the elder biography, facts and pictures famous scientists. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the source. It has egypt for its boundary, and no part of the earth is there that has fewer gulfs or inlets, its shores extending in a lengthened line from the west in an oblique direction. Pliny the elder wrote about dragons forbidden history. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover all ancient knowledge.
Pliny the elder 23 79, translated by henry thomas riley 1816 1878 naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is. Pliny the elder, the natural history exploring celtic. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a. Of course, pliny referred to the first book and others in writing his natural history, but it ended up as a sort of dummys guide to natural history, trying to compose a really wide subject matter into a few books over 2 years, and obviously getting a lot wrong in the process. Click to share on facebook opens in new window click to share on twitter opens in new window click to email this to a friend opens in new window. Naturalis historia is an early encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder.
Gaius plinius secundas pliny the elder was a roman official and military officer who also wrote as a naturalist, biographer and historian. Natural history by pliny the elder the 1279th greatest. He is best known for his work pliny s natural history which was in latin and explored the natural world. These selections from the natural history are fascinating. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes. Pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. The greeks have decided that twothirds of an ounce of leaven is enough for every two halfpecks of flour. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. This index in fact constitutes book 1 of the natural history, and it has attracted a. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output.
The guinness is a compilation of isolated and insipid facts. The most important surviving encyclopedia from the ancient world, pliny the elders natural history is unparalleled as a guide to the cultural meanings of everyday things in firstcentury rome. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to pliny. The following is an adaptation of pliny the elder, the natural history, trans. Natural history, volume ii, books 37 loeb classical library. John wallis ernest walton james watson james watt alfred wegener john archibald wheeler maurice wilkins thomas willis e. Preface pliny natural history preface plinius secundus to his dear vespasian a greeting. Pliny the elder biography birthday, trivia italian. The naturalis historia is one of the largest works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day. Natural history, volume iii, books 811 loeb classical library. Apparently pliny the elder isnt good anymore vinepair. Susan whitfield, life along the silk road berkeley.
The greeks have given the name of libya 1 to africa, and have called the sea that lies in front of it the libyan sea. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. Gaius plinius secundus 23 ad august 25, 79 ad, better known as pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian. He was attempting the rescue by ship of a friend and his family from the eruption of mount vesuvius. Pliny the elder was a roman natural philosopher who lived during the 1st century. Like any great work in human history from plato to galileo, from dante to stephen hawkings pliny s natural history is, first of all, a work of imagination. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a roman in the year ad 77, and because. In this book, beagon redresses the balance and illuminates the natural history as the work of an author with an identifiable mode of thinking and a coherent attitude toward his. Plinys natural history and the flavian templum pacis jstor. In his natural history, pliny the elder observes and then explains the planets, among many other topics. The eruption had just destroyed the cities of pompeii and herculaneum.
This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. Pliny read and dictated in a sedan chair as he moved about urban areas. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. Pliny the elder ad 2379 was a roman natural philosopher who was educated in rome and came into contact with celts during his military service in germany and gaul. Book ii continues with natural meteorological events lower in the sky, including the winds, weather, whirlwinds, lightning, and rainbows. Pliny was a compiler, a gatherer and recorder of information. But over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. The division of human knowledge into different fieldsbiology, history, mathematics, medicine, and so onis a relatively new invention. He wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which became an editorial model for encyclopedias. Pliny the elder, the natural history, book i 79 hacker news. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history.