Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. 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. Jul 12, 2018 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. 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.
The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. The first and thirtythird books of pliny were translated by dr. The natural history, which was dedicated to titus in 77, was. May 15, 2015 this selection from natural history also continues with his observations about the degree of pain associated with specific illnesses, in which cases sufferers sometimes seek suicide. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. Dec 09, 2015 but over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. Pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c. 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. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. 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. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history.
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. 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 s is an organic work, as shakespeares crowded plays or montaignes essays are organic. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book. 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. While serving in this position he also found time to write his famous natural history which was published in 77. The natural history of pliny, volume 3 bohns classical library the natural history of pliny, pliny the elder. If you want to read pliny the elder, the loeb classics are the only way to do so in this day and age. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is. 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. Plinys natural history was the goto encyclopedia for over 1,500 years, from its publication around the year 77 until well into the renaissance. Concentrating on pliny s accounts of foreign lands and peoples, monsters, and barbarians, trevor murphy demonstrates the political significance of this reference book as a. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life.
Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. As a detailed study of the human animal, described by its author as the raison detre of nature, book seven of the elder plinys natural history is crucial to the understanding of the work as a whole. 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. Ischas, secondary name for leucacantha, xxii 40, usually a type of fig. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author. The 30th on magic, and medicines for certain parts of the body. 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.
Pliny the elders natural history, from firstcentury rome, is the most important surviving encyclopedia of the ancient world. Librivox recording of the natural history, volume 3, by pliny the elder. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. Utf8 start of this project gutenberg ebook natural history of pliny, vol 1 produced by turgut dincer, brian wilcox. This selection from natural history also continues with his observations about the degree of pain associated with specific illnesses, in which cases sufferers sometimes seek suicide. Pliny the elder has 277 books on goodreads with 3818 ratings. Natural history pliny and pliny the elder see more.
Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. 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. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. Pliny the elder wrote about dragons forbidden history. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a. In thirtyseven volumes, he does describe the full complexity of nature. His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying, which was like working to him.
The guinness is a compilation of isolated and insipid facts. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. The gallic provinces, too, were pervaded by the magic art, and that even down to a period within memory. On our entrance into africa, we find the two mauritanias, which, until the time of caius c.
The natural history of pliny, volume 5 bohns classical library the natural history of pliny, pliny the elder. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. In the year 79, still admiral of the western fleet, pliny noticed a cloud over the city of pompeii. Pliny also set out to write a natural history in 37 books. 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. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output.
Pliny the elder, the natural history john bostock, m. The extreme promontory of africa, which projects into the ocean, is called ampelusia 4 by the greeks. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. He wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which became an editorial model for encyclopedias. Natural history pliny and pliny the elder see more pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. 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. He spent most of his time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field. He wrote a number of books, but the natural history is the only one that survives. Pliny the elder, the natural history exploring celtic. Pliny the elders natural history trevor murphy oxford. Pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c.
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. How immea surable it is, appeareth by this, that trees which are planted in. In addition, however, it provides valuable insight into the extraordinary complex of ideas and beliefs current in plinys era, many of which have resonances for other eras and cultures. The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Sources pliny, the natural history of pliny, book ii, ch. There is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny the elder. 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.
Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges. No one else seems to publish all of pliny s natural history any longer, but only excerptsunless, of course, you have several hundred dollars to spare for a very dear edition. His writings refer to twentyseven in all, thirteen being of the simplest type. Concentrating on plinys accounts of foreign lands and peoples, monsters, and barbarians, trevor murphy demonstrates the political significance of this reference book as a. Pliny the elder was the first latin medical author to mention magical formulas. 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 was made admiral of the western roman navy. As a guide to the cultural meanings of everyday things in ancient rome it is unparalleled. This paper examines pliny the elders history of magic in book 30 as imperial historiography.
Pliny the elders sister, plinia, married a man named caecilius, from the northern italian town of. But over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. The following is an adaptation of pliny the elder, the natural history, trans. Imperial historiography in pliny the elders history. Different types of trees and the properties of their wood are explained in books xii to xiii. Pliny the elders natural history quotations the gold scales. The roman pliny the elder 2379 ce was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of emperor vespasian. The older man, gaius plinius secundus, is called pliny the elder. His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying, which was like working to him the only time he took from his work was for his bath, and by bath i mean his actual immersion, for while. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a roman in the year ad 77, and because. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder.
Ischaemon, a styptic plant, perhaps andropogon ischaemum, or manna grass, panicum sanguinale, xxv 83, xxvi 1. American museum of natural history handbook series no. Its frequent digressions into issues of morality and gossipy, occasionally rambling style would certainly not be at home in a modern encyclopedia, but its allencompassing scope covering botany, zoology, astronomy, geology, and medicine among other. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the natural history of pliny. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Ordinarily studied as an ancient forerunner of the encyclopedia, the. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyclopedia. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder pliny free ebook project gutenberg. Its an encyclopedia of what passed for scientific information in that time. 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. 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.