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. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is. 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. His greatest and only surviving work was his naturalis historia of natural history. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. 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 to exist and never will perish. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. 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. Here is plinys natural historia in 37 books with its vast collection of facts and alleged. 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. The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the. 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.
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. American museum of natural history handbook series no. 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. But over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. 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.
Pliny himself died while investigating the volcanic eruption that destroyed pompeii in ad 79, and the natural curiosity that brought about his death is also very much evident in the natural history a book that proved highly influential right up until the renaissance and that his nephew, pliny the younger, described as full of variety as. Plinys natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. The direct links to the latin text of this section of pliny are possible due to the advice of bill thayer at the university of kansas. 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. Natural history, volume x, books 3637 loeb classical library no.
Complete collection in ten volumes the loeb classical library, no. Pliny the elder biography facts, childhood, family life. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a. Pliny the elder, the natural history exploring celtic. Natural history, volume iv, books 1216 loeb classical library no. 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. A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. Pliny the elder is also the uncle of pliny the younger, whose letters are definitely worth a read, and outline the tragic and incredible nature of pliny the. 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. 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. When the eagle was first used as the standard of the roman legions. Feb 26, 2017 266 videos play all have i got news for you full playlist hat trick herodotus histories full audiobook book 2 of 3 duration.
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 has 277 books on goodreads with 3818 ratings. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the natural history of pliny. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. The following is an adaptation of pliny the elder, the natural history, trans.
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. It is no disparagement to hollands merits, as a diligent and generally faithful translator, to say that his work is unsuited to the requirements of the nineteenth century. He is best known for his work plinys natural history which was in. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library.
Pliny the elder naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Here is plinys natural historia in 37 books with its vast collection of facts and. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is crucial to understanding the work as a whole. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author.
Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. Plinius secundus pliny the elder 37 book natural history. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. The division of human knowledge into different fieldsbiology, history, mathematics, medicine, and so onis a relatively new invention. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book, so that the text of all the books is quite good already. 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. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. An eagle which precipitated itself on the funeral pile of a girl. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. He is always noble and serious, full of the love of justice and virtue. In plinys eyes, mankind for whose sake nature was created, represents the basis for which the natural world was founded and structured. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived.
Pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. Pliny the elder wrote about dragons forbidden history. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. Such are the generic and specific characteristics of all the animals about which it has been possible to obtain information. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Pdf the natural history book download full pdf book. 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. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6, by pliny the elder this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the united states and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. 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. Pomponius secundus, in two books, a person by whom. He wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which became an editorial model for encyclopedias. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Natural history, volume i, books 12 loeb classical library no.
He is best known for his work pliny s natural history which was in latin and explored the natural world. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic. 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. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. Cinnabaris is adulterated by the agency of goats blood, or of bruised. 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. Particulars relative to hippocrates date of the origin of clinical practice and of. Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology.
Pliny the elder was a roman natural philosopher who lived during the 1st century. Pliny the elder s natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. Pliny the elder, the natural history, book i 79 hacker news. The only translation of plinys natural history which has hitherto appeared in the english language is that by philemon holland, published in the latter part of the reign of elizabeth. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. Pliny the elder simple english wikipedia, the free. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. Loeb classical library, 330, 352353, 370371, 392394, 418419. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge the contents of the books are as follows. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. It remains to describe the things produced by the earth or dug up from itthese also not being devoid of vital spirit, since nothing lives without itand not to pass over in silence any of the works of nature. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the uk, depending on stock availability. In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history.
Pliny was a compiler, a gatherer and recorder of information. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. The natural history of pliny volume 1 1893 full leather bound. The natural history by pliny the elder free at loyal books. Gaius plinius secundus 23 ad 25 august 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 spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work. Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of. He spent most of his time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy.
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