Like any great work in human history from plato to galileo, from dante to stephen hawkings plinys natural history is, first of all, a work of imagination. Pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a. Barclay, 184749, also by philemon holland and wernerian club page images at hathitrust pliny, the elder. The first book is a catalogue of sources, which is followed by two. In sum there are in this book of histories and observations four. 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.
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. The silurus of pliny is perhaps a species of cuviers genus schilbe, although true siluri are found in the nile. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. 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. On pliny the elder and the monstrous natural history of.
Pliny the elder simple english wikipedia, the free. Museums oldest natural history book now accessible online. 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. Seeing the elder plinys maniacal working habits, one starts to understand. Pliny the elder was a roman natural philosopher who lived during the 1st century. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Selections from the history of the world, commonly called the natural history of c. 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. The extreme promontory of africa, which projects into the ocean, is called ampelusia 4 by the greeks.
A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a. 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. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work, natural history naturalis historia, which became a model for many subsequent encyclopedic texts. The knowledge of the great eternal having been left 30 history of nature. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author. The name coracinus has been applied to more than, one fish of a sooty colour. It was published in 1469, barely 30 years after the invention of the. Pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge.
The natural history, which was dedicated to titus in 77, was. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. The guinness is a compilation of isolated and insipid facts. Trevor morgan murphy 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. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book, so that. 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. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library.
Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h. For the original article on pliny see dsb, see vol. Buy natural history penguin classics reprint by pliny the elder, john healey, john healey isbn. Cheers to the scholar, historian, officer, writer, and roman naturalist pliny the elder.
The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. Gaius plinius secundus, commonly known as pliny the elder ad 2379. While the monster is seldom described except for it being a large fish, there is still enough evidence to easily apply theses 5. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of t. Plinys natural history, either directly or indirectly through quotes by later authors, greatly influenced the development of the bestiary and other medieval beast literature. Pliny was a compiler, a gatherer and recorder of information. Pliny the elder biography facts, childhood, family life. This edition can be found on the internet archive, with the exception of books. The natural history has been translated into english by h. Pliny the elder, the natural history john bostock, m. The natural history which is actually a sort of encyclopedia of roman wisdom and prejudices has probably fallen out of favour because the first two books are surprisingly tedious. Pliny the elder has 280 books on goodreads with 3768 ratings. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia.
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 pliny, the elder the online books page. Pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. Pliny devised a summarium, or list of contents, at the beginning of the work that was later interpreted by modern printers as a table of contents. 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. Pliny the elder, the natural history exploring celtic. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history. The following is an adaptation of pliny the elder, the natural history, trans. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Plinys natural history in thirtyseven books london. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived. Historia naturalis was one of the first manuscripts ever printed and, perhaps more importantly, the first published natural history book.
Book 30, medicinal uses of animal products continued. The zoology chapters books 8 to 11 are frequently quoted, though pliny is not always acknowledged as the. Table of contents of the others and of authorities. Plinys natural history is an extraordinarily important document in the history of western science. Plinys is an organic work, as shakespeares crowded plays or montaignes essays are organic. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. On our entrance into africa, we find the two mauritanias, which, until the time of caius c. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of.
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