Minerals and medicine, the fine arts, and gemstones. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. 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. Its ruins are visible on the seacoast, about six miles s.
English translation of pliny the elder, natural history, book 35, 101202, by h. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. To modern eyes, plinys mode of conducting his x preface. In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. Jan 06, 2014 no wonder, then, that an encyclopedia of natural history dating from the early roman empire was extraordinarily popular, not only in its own time but during and well after the renaissance. Pliny the elder wrote many works of history and biography, but he is best known for his book called natural history which gives moderns a good idea about the thinking of the ancients about biology, science, and medicine. Pliny the younger, latin in full gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born 6162 ce, comum italydied c. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a.
The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. Volume 9, books 3335, natural history loeb classical. On india xxvi 96 but before we go on to a detailed account of these countries, it is suitable to indicate the facts reported by onesicritus after sailing with the fleet of alexander round from india to the interior of farsistan, and quite recently related in detail by juba, and then to state the searoute that has been ascertained in recent times and is followed at the present day. Natural history, volume iv, books 1216 loeb classical library no. 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.
Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. 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. 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. American museum of natural history handbook series no. In the 1st century ce, plinys natural history described the current roman searoute to india, which had recently been established. 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 wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. 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 work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy. 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 natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author.
Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Natural history, volume iii, books 811 loeb classical library no. Publication date 1938 topics natural history publisher. On india xxvi 96 but before we go on to a detailed account of these countries, it is suitable to indicate the facts reported by. 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 natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Natural history is an account that can only be given by a roman in the year ad 77, and because. The elder pliny on the human animal mary beagon oxford. 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.
But over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of roman knowledge. 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. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. Click on the l symbols to go to the latin text of each chapter.
Pliny the elder, the natural history john bostock, m. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Jul 12, 2018 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. 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. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. No wonder, then, that an encyclopedia of natural history dating from the early roman empire was extraordinarily popular, not only in its own time but during and well after the renaissance. In books iii to vi, pliny moves to the earth itself. In book iii he covers the geography of the iberian peninsula and italy. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the. 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. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library.
Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Pliny, the author of the natural history, is called the elder in order to distinguish him from his. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder pliny free ebook project gutenberg. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read.
Pliny the elders natural history, from firstcentury rome, is the most important surviving encyclopedia of the ancient world. Gaius plinius secundus, author of the 37 book natural history pliny the younger publius caecilius secundus, educated for the bar, and the cursus honorem, wrote a greek tragedy at 14, he was a true roman gentleman. Table of contents of the others and of authorities. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to. Utf8 start of this project gutenberg ebook natural history of pliny, vol 1 produced by turgut dincer, brian wilcox. Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book, so that the text of all the books is quite good already. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyclopedia.
Dec 09, 2015 but over the centuries these mistakes have revealed more about plinys world than the accuracies. 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. The natural history of pigeons illustrated by thirtytwo plates coloured, and numerous woodcuts with memoir of pliny by andrew crichton the naturalists library ornithology vol v gallinaceous birds part iii pigeons natural history of pigeons 1st edition 1835. 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. The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. Natural history, volume ii, books 37 loeb classical library no. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. Pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. On india xxvi 96 but before we go on to a detailed account of these countries, it is suitable to indicate the facts reported by onesicritus after sailing with the fleet of alexander round from india to the interior of. Questia read the fulltext online edition of natural history of pliny vol. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 bohns classical library.
Mathematical and metrological survey of the universe. English translation of pliny the elder, natural history, book 36, 101204, by d. Topics included are the mathematics and metrology of the. As a guide to the cultural meanings of everyday things in ancient rome it. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. 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, tireless researcher and writer, is author of. Haec est materia luxus e cunctis maxume supervacui. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read plinys natural history. Though he wrote many books on history and biography, the elder pliny is most noted for his work natural history which is an encyclopedic compendium of the knowledge of his day. A hydreuma was a manned and fortified watering hole or way station along a caravan route, providing a manmade oasis. An interesting innovation was his listing of the sources of his information.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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