He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. Publication date 1938 topics natural history publisher. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. On the west side of the dead sea, but out of range of the noxious exhalations of the coast, is the solitary tribe of the essenes, which is remarkable beyond all the other tribes in the whole world, as it has no women and has renounced all sexual desire, has no money, and has only palmtrees for company. 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. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with.
Natural history 5 volumes hardcover january 1, 2012 by pliny the elder author 5. In 37 books, pliny the eldernot to be confused with his nephew, pliny the youngercovers botany, zoology, astronomy, geology, geography, mineralogy, and how each of these interact with roman life. Pliny the youngers depiction of pliny the elder for ocr. Pliny the elder was a devotee of all things fermented, namely wine and beer. 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. It is the only work by pliny to have survived, and the last tha. 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. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Pliny s natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. The natural history, volume 1 by pliny the elder 23 79 11. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with the creation of the first scientific encyclopaedia. Pliny the elder was immortalized by his nephew, pliny the younger, who wrote about his uncle succumbing to ash and smoke during the eruption of mt.
Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history attalus. For in his sleep he thought that the figure of drusus nero10 stood by. Pliny, the beer has now become one of our flagship brews. The world, and this whatever other name men have chosen to designate the sky whose vaulted roof encircles the universe is fitly believed to be a deity, eternal, immeasurable, a being that never began. 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. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author. For centuries the natural history served as the western worlds primary source of scientific information and theory book i summarizes the entire contents of the work, listing the authors and sometimes the titles of. On the west side of the dead sea, but out of range of the noxious exhalations of the coast, is the solitary tribe of the essenes, which is remarkable beyond all the other tribes in the whole world, as it has no women and. It is encyclopedic in scope, but its structure is not like that of a modern encyclopedia. Pliny the elder, the natural history john bostock, m. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing, and investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, pliny wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which.
Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. But it was this, says lord bacon natural history, 10th century, which did. More than just an author, he was a successful administrator. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. Cheers to the scholar, historian, officer, writer, and roman naturalist pliny the elder. Pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic.
Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Jun 12, 2014 the long history of the roman empire is no different, for it can boast of the celebrated works of such men as ovid, virgil, suetonius, and tacitus. The natural history, volume 1, part 2 pliny the elder. Pliny finished writing natural history around 77 and published 10 of the 37 volumes before he accepted an official position as commander of a fleet in the bay of naples in 79. Pliny the elder 1st century ce natural history, book 10, 50. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Pliny the elder, the natural history, book i 79 hacker news. Pliny the elder s natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. He published the first 10 books in ad 77, but had not made a final revision of the remainder at the time of his death during the ad 79 eruption of. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h. Although his charge was to employ the fleet in the suppression of piracy, pliny became sidetracked by the eruption of mount vesuvius.
In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. Gaius plinius secundus, 23 79 ce was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of the emperor vespasian. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. From antiquity through the middle ages and into the renaissance, plinys massive compilation of knowledge remained. The division of human knowledge into different fieldsbiology, history, mathematics, medicine, and so onis a relatively new invention. There is a bird of arabia called the cinnamolgus which makes its nest out of cinnamon twigs. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on the.
He is best known for his work pliny s natural history which was in latin and explored the natural world. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. 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. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the. Pliny the elder biography facts, childhood, family life. This ancient roman may have been an author, statesman and military commander, but hes become a household name among. American museum of natural history handbook series no.
The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c. 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. Buy natural history penguin classics reprint by pliny the elder, john healey, john healey isbn. The natural history there is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny the elder used to say, and he read everything that he could obtain. Natural history pliny the elder john healey download. 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. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. 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. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Pliny was a compiler, a gatherer and recorder of information. The most important surviving encyclopaedia from the ancient world, pliny the elders natural history is unparalleled as a guide to the cultural meanings of everyday things in 1stcentury rome. Pliny the elder, the first wine critic and why he still. As one of the largest and most comprehensive surviving works from the roman empire, pliny the elders natural history offers a rare glimpse into the scholarship of the ancient world. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy.
Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived. Divine speaker and that from this circumstance originated the proverb of. The natural history of pliny, volume 6 bohns classical library the natural history of pliny, henry thomas riley. Plinys natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is.
We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. However, one individual often unrecognized by presentday readers surpasses all others history simply remembers him as pliny the elder. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. Natural history, encyclopaedic scientific work of dubious accuracy by pliny the elder, completed in 77 ce as naturae historiae and conventionally known as naturalis historia. Plinys 37book naturalis historia is a stupor mundi, an encyclopedia of everything there was to knowwhether it was worth knowing or notin. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the elder. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. As part of a new direction in classical scholarship, this book reads the work not just for the information it contains, but to understand how and why pliny collects and presents information.
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